Is Hemp A Drug?

Is hemp a drug? Is tomato a vegetable? Is a whale a fish? Is Pluto a planet? Is the sun yellow? Is a zebra white with black stripes? Is peanut a nut? Is bamboo a tree?

Sometimes, even when it seems like an obvious yes, the answer is surprisingly a no.

Hemp is often clubbed together with marijuana, but it’s not a drug at all. Sure, they’re both from the cannabis family, but hemp barely has any THC - the part that gets you high. In fact, you’d need to smoke a whole farm’s worth of hemp to feel anything, and even then, you’d just end up with a cough.

What people forget is that hemp is that hemp’s real talents lie elsewhere. It is actually a superstar of the plant world. Its fibres are used to make durable fabrics, its seeds are packed with protein and omega-3s, and you can even turn it into paper, biofuel, or building materials. It grows fast, helps the soil, and doesn’t need much water or pesticides. It’s like the plant that does it all - except get you high.

So yes, hemp can be a lot of things - food, clothing, even fuel - but a drug? Definitely not.