Researchers funded by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) developed innovative, cost-effective forensic methods to measure the exact amount of THC present in a cannabis sample, aiming to accurately differentiate hemp from marijuana.
Expensive Precision For A Costly And Outdated War
The Controlled Substances Act of 1970 initially lumped cannabis—both hemp and marijuana—into the same category of illegal substances. Decades later, the 2018 Farm Bill sought to untangle this classification by legalizing hemp and differentiating it from marijuana based on its psychoactivity. This law establishes that products with more than 0.3% of THC are not considered hemp, but rather marijuana, therefore criminalizing its possession.
However, this legislative change left law enforcement and forensic labs …