When the 2018 Farm Bill was signed into law, it opened up the doors for an entirely new market. Long supported by individuals needing cannabis, hemp is now the fastest growing market in the United States. But despite being legal, there are still a few restrictions that prevent it from becoming completely accepted.
In Rhode Island, there are certain parts of marijuana law that overlap with hemp freedom. And that’s why it’s important to consider the details to find out how to use and enjoy hemp within the state while avoiding any issues with the authorities.
The short answer is yes, there is no legality issue when it comes to smoking raw hemp flower across the entire United States. With the 2018 Farm Bill, the hemp herb became fully legal, which means it isn’t a controlled substance anywhere in the country since it doesn’t contain enough THC to produce a high.
Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC is the main psychoactive compound produced by the cannabis plant, and it’s mostly present in the marijuana variety. If a cannabis harvest has 0.3% THC or less, then it’s considered hemp and not marijuana. And this is where the issue of smokable hemp arises.
In their raw form, hemp and marijuana look exactly the same. That’s because they come from the same plant. So, for law enforcement agents, it can be tricky to tell the two herbs apart. And because recreational marijuana remains illegal in Rhode Island, it’s easy to see how raw, smokable hemp flower might be an issue.
On the other hand, officers can no longer impose penalties based on the appearance of cannabis alone since both hemp and marijuana share the same look. What they can do however is confiscate the sample and send it to a lab for testing, which is certainly inconvenient to say the least.
With that in mind, it might be best to simply keep your raw flower at home where it’s safe from prying eyes. Even then, the state of Rhode Island allows every other kind of hemp without question.
With the 2018 Farm Bill, raw hemp was made legal. That means that the plant isn’t a controlled substance, and neither are any of the extracts that come from it. But then again, using hemp extract as a health supplement or a food additive is a completely different story.
Although hemp edibles are available almost everywhere, with gas stations, convenience stores, and salons offering them to any buyer willing to spend, they’re not actually legal. The FDA claims that these hemp extracts aren’t approved as food additives.
All other products that use hemp extracts – including oils, capsules, edibles, and even topicals – shouldn’t be allowed to sell or use. But even then, the government doesn’t seem like it cares too much about the availability of these products, which leads most of those who support the hemp market to believe that they will soon be ushered into legality.
In Rhode Island recreational marijuana use decriminalized yet still considered illegal. That’s important to keep in mind since the cultivation of hemp – especially with a lack of knowledge and skill – could yield marijuana instead of hemp.
DIY cultivators and at-home farmers are discouraged from growing their own herb to minimize the risk of accidentally producing marijuana instead. That said, there are lots of vendors that sell affordable hemp flower while meeting government regulations on the proper THC content.
Hemp has come a long way since it was first banned in 1937. And although there are a few ways where marijuana legislature gets in the way of hemp use, individuals living in Rhode Island can pretty much enjoy and experience the herb without a fuss. Just make sure you keep your raw flower at home and avoid growing your own herb, and you should be in the clear.
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