FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

What's the difference between Hemp and Marijuana?

The difference is in its use. Hemp and Marijuana both come from the same plant - Cannabis Sativa L. The term 'Hemp' commonly refers to the industrial/commercial use of the cannabis stalk and seed for textiles, foods, papers, body care products, detergents, plastics and building materials. The term 'marijuana' refers to the medicinal, recreational or spiritual use involving the smoking of cannabis flowers.

Industrial hemp contains only about 0.3% - 1.5% THC (Tetrahydrocannabinoids, the intoxicating ingredients that make you high) while marijuana contains about 5% - 10% or more THC.

What's so great about hemp?

• Hemp fibre is the longest, strongest and most durable of all natural fibres.
• Hemp cultivation requires no chemicals, pesticides or herbicides.
• Grown in rotation with other crops such as corn and legumes, hemp farming is completely sustainable
• Hemp produces four times as much fibre per acre as pine trees. Hemp tree-free paper can be recycled up to seven times, compared with three times for pine-pulp based papers.
• Hemp is easy to grow, and actually conditions soil where it grows.
• The seed and seed-oil are high in protein, essential fatty and amino acids, and vitamins.
• Hemp would be an ideal source of biomass for fuel, and hemp Ethanol burns very cleanly.

Can I smoke hemp products?

No, the only hit you will get from smoking your hemp jeans, shoes or lip-balm is a headache.

Where does hemp come from?

Hemp and humanity have been linked for over 10,000 years. Hemp was one of our first agricultural crops, and remained the planet's largest crop and most important industry until late last century. Most of the non-Western world never stopped growing hemp, and today hemp for commercial use is grown mostly by China, Hungary, England, Canada, Australia, France, Italy, Spain, Holland, Germany, Poland, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, India and throughout Asia.

Can we plant Hemp in New Zealand?

No, except as a tightly controlled research trial. The cultivation of any form of Cannabis is prohibited in New Zealand under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, regardless of THC levels or its intended end-use. There is no distinction between recreational, spiritual, medicinal or industrial uses.

The refusal to allow the commercial cultivation of industrial hemp denies our farmers, workers and manufacturers a lucrative export industry, and helps ensure the maintenance of current environmentally-destructive agricultural and manufacturing practices. Although we can't grow hemp in New Zealand (yet), everything sold by The Hemp Store is completely legal.