Kevin Bishop made his own reusable pots from recycled plastic felt.
Continued from page 5
“At first, I was skeptical of CBD,” Bishop
intimated. “I wrote it off as just another way
people were trying to legalize marijuana. But
then I tried it, and it works as an anxiety
relief, and it doesn’t take much,” he shared.
He has family members who utilize hemp
products in their diet, from the protein-rich
seeds to the CBD-rich oils and emollients. He
would love to be their source for these
commodities if he gets to a point where he can
grow and process enough.
Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of many
cannabinoids present in the hemp plant, and
newer hemp varieties are bred to increase the
concentration of this medicinally valuable
compound, lauded for anti-inflammatory and
neuroprotective properties, among other
wellness benefits.
Bishop is interested in growing CBD-rich
varieties, but has to be more careful with
them, because, as CBD content rises, so does
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content.
Both marijuana and hemp are varieties of
the same plant species, Cannabis sativa.
However, hemp has a much lower
concentration of THC, the compound that
causes intoxicating effects.
Hemp is legally (and some might add,
arbitrarily) defined as having less than 0.3
percent THC on a dry weight basis. In
comparison, in states where marijuana is
legal, the cannabis plant is bred to contain an
average of 12% THC, with up to 20% not
uncommon— that’s 40-60 times more than
what is present in hemp. In states like
Oklahoma where medical marijuana is legal,
or Colorado, where medical and recreational
use is legal, people seek high THC strains for
the euphoric and pain-relieving effects.
Yet any cannabis plant containing more
than 0.3 percent THC is considered illegal at
the federal level. Sound confusing? Well it is,
especially to law enforcement, who have been
among the biggest detractors on the road to
legalizing hemp, because all cannabis plants
look and smell remarkably similar, regardless
of THC content.
Regulatory agencies are still working out
the details on how to manage this aspect of
the industry, but Texas farmers forge on,
under the recently created Hemp Program
managed by Texas Department of Agriculture
(TDA).
Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed House
Bill 1325 in June 2019, allowing for the
production, manufacture, retail sale, and
inspection of industrial hemp crops and
products in the state, with administration of
8
Cenizo
Summer 2020