Hemp is legal to produce and process under the 2018 Farm Bill. For decades, federal law did not differentiate hemp from other cannabis plants which were banned.
For a little bit of background, hemp is defined in the legislation as the cannabis plant. Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names like weed, pot, or dop.
But unlike cannabis, hemp contains low levels of THC, which is less than 0.3%. THC is the cannabinoid responsible for making people experience an intoxicating effect when people use marijuana. In simple words…low THC in hemp can’t get you high.
In the first major research to investigate whether feeding hemp to livestock was safe, German researchers fed hemp to dairy cows. This new study could influence the potential uses of industrial hemp as a supplement in animal feed.
Why feed hemp to the livestock?
Hemp grown for CBD is a high-value crop as the market for CBD oil is increasing rapidly. Both hemp and marijuana plants contain CBD, a nonpsychoactive compound that has become a trendy health supplement.
Hemp cultivation has increased over the last few years. But the farmers are often left with vast volumes of hemp biomass which is why farmers are curious about any potential effects of feeding it to their animals.
Researchers noted the behavioral changes in the cows and found THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids in the hemp-fed cows’ milk. However, researchers are still to test whether or how drinking that milk would affect human consumers.
