Nov 18, 2022 08:20 PM
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-new...180981131/
EXCERPTS: Dairy cows that chowed down on industrial hemp produced milk that contained the psychoactive compound THC, as well as CBD and other cannabinoids, according to new research published in the journal Nature Food. The animals’ behavior changed, too: They yawned, salivated, appeared unsteady on their feet and even had red eyes, the researchers observed.
The findings raise further questions about the future viability of feeding industrial hemp to livestock, a practice that is currently outlawed in the United States because of concerns about cannabinoids making their way into the nation’s food supply chain. But hemp is nutritious, cheap and widely available, which is why farmers and ranchers are curious about any potential effects of feeding it to their animals.
[...] Hemp and marijuana plants are the same species, Cannabis sativa. But hemp has a much lower level of the cannabinoid THC, the compound typically associated with a “high” in humans. Both plants contain CBD, a nonpsychoactive compound that has become a trendy health supplement.
Legally, the U.S. government defines hemp as containing 0.3 percent or less THC. As of 2018, the government no longer classifies hemp as a controlled substance, which means it can be grown, harvested, tested, processed, transported and sold. Marijuana, meanwhile, contains higher amounts of THC and is still illegal under federal law, though many states have decriminalized it.
[...] Even if governments do not give farmers the go-ahead to feed their dairy cows hemp, that doesn’t rule out the possibility of feeding it to other animals that don’t produce food for human consumption ... it could be useful for calming livestock during stressful situations, such as transport or weaning... ([furl=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cows-that-ate-hemp-produced-milk-with-thc-and-cbd-180981131/]MORE - missing details[/url])
EXCERPTS: Dairy cows that chowed down on industrial hemp produced milk that contained the psychoactive compound THC, as well as CBD and other cannabinoids, according to new research published in the journal Nature Food. The animals’ behavior changed, too: They yawned, salivated, appeared unsteady on their feet and even had red eyes, the researchers observed.
The findings raise further questions about the future viability of feeding industrial hemp to livestock, a practice that is currently outlawed in the United States because of concerns about cannabinoids making their way into the nation’s food supply chain. But hemp is nutritious, cheap and widely available, which is why farmers and ranchers are curious about any potential effects of feeding it to their animals.
[...] Hemp and marijuana plants are the same species, Cannabis sativa. But hemp has a much lower level of the cannabinoid THC, the compound typically associated with a “high” in humans. Both plants contain CBD, a nonpsychoactive compound that has become a trendy health supplement.
Legally, the U.S. government defines hemp as containing 0.3 percent or less THC. As of 2018, the government no longer classifies hemp as a controlled substance, which means it can be grown, harvested, tested, processed, transported and sold. Marijuana, meanwhile, contains higher amounts of THC and is still illegal under federal law, though many states have decriminalized it.
[...] Even if governments do not give farmers the go-ahead to feed their dairy cows hemp, that doesn’t rule out the possibility of feeding it to other animals that don’t produce food for human consumption ... it could be useful for calming livestock during stressful situations, such as transport or weaning... ([furl=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cows-that-ate-hemp-produced-milk-with-thc-and-cbd-180981131/]MORE - missing details[/url])
