Since the 2018 Farm Bill was passed, the hemp market across the entire United States has seen a significant boom. With vendors and farmers thriving in the brand new market, hemp-infused and derived products are available at every turn, even crossing borders through online platforms offering product shipments and deliveries.
But while hemp is legal on the federal level, there are some states that aim to regulate the herb under their own terms. Wisconsin is notorious for its stringent laws surrounding cannabis and marijuana, so it’s easy to see how their legislature might impact the freedom that their citizens enjoy when it comes to the use, sale, purchase, and possession of hemp.
When discussing hemp flower, it’s impossible not to talk about marijuana. Both of these herbs from from the same Cannabis sativa plant which is why way back when marijuana was made illegal, hemp was mistakenly lumped together with the psychoactive herb. But research has shown that although hemp and marijuana come from the same plant, they don’t provide the same effects.
Changes in the way that these herbs are cultivated allows farmers to alter the plant’s chemistry. Marijuana for example, contains high concentrations of tetrahydrocannbinol or THC – the main psychoactive compound in the plant that causes the feeling of a high. On the other hand, hemp is cultivated to have just trace amounts of THC.
So during use, hemp provides the same relaxing, calming as marijuana. But the main difference is that it can’t get you high or change your mental state. This is why hemp has finally been removed from the list of controlled substances, making it available across the country.
Now the tricky part. Although you can and should be able to smoke hemp in Wisconsin without a problem, it’s close resemblance to marijuana could get you in trouble. Presently, there’s no way to tell marijuana and hemp apart on the spot, which has caused trouble for law enforcement workers on the ground.
On the upside, law enforcers need to put samples through testing before they can determine whether it’s legal hemp or marijuana. That’s because appearance and odor are no longer considered enough evidence to establish probable cause, since both herbs manifest the same look and smell.
The best way to avoid any run-ins with the authorities would be to simply keep your raw hemp flower at home. If you ever find that you need a CBD dose while you’re out and about, the state of Wisconsin is pretty lenient when it comes to other types of hemp-infused and derived products.
Check almost every gas station, salon, or convenience store, and you’re likely to find shelves upon shelves of hemp-infused food and drink products. The same goes for online vendors that offer to ship these products anywhere in the country. But while hemp edibles are highly accessible, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re legal.
According to the FDA, hemp extract hasn’t yet been approved as a food additive. What that means is that all hemp-infused food products should be illegal. But even then, it seems law enforcement doesn’t really have any plans to crack down on the widespread availability of such products.
In fact, most states even recommend the use of products like CBD oils and edibles over smokeable flower to make it easier for their law enforcement workers to apprehend and penalize marijuana offenders.
No, you can’t, unless you have a license. Anyone caught growing hemp for their own personal use can be penalized with steep fines and prison sentences. All hemp grown in the absence of a license will be automatically considered marijuana, since cultivators are required to put their herb through rigorous tests to ensure that they match government regulations regarding THC content.
Although Wisconsin remains one of the strictest states when it comes to marijuana regulations, the state is slowly but surely easing into more popular trends with the introduction of hemp. Hopefully, the state’s legislature will change over the next few years to ease the process of differentiating hemp and marijuana so hemp users can enjoy more freedom in public spaces.
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