On April 21, 2010, The Lumberjack ran an article with the headline: "Hemp Vs. Alcohol. What is S.A.F.E.R.?" The article itself is about the safety of recreational use of marijuana versus alcohol and never uses the word hemp.

But this type of headline is exactly how hemp perpetually gets a bad rep. Hemp is not marijuana. Although they are both part of the genus Cannabis, industrial hemp doesn't get you high. Its THC levels (the stuff in marijuana that gets you high) are low, and it contains high levels of an antipsychoactive cannabinoid called CBD. The CBD actually impedes a marijuana high. According to Dr. Dave West, who studies plant breeding at the University of Minnessota and has pioneered discussions on the differences between hemp and marijuana, "Hemp, it turns out, is not only not marijuana, [but] it could be called 'antimarijuana.'" Yet, it is still illegal to grow hemp in the U.S., and the DEA spends millions pulling it out of our soils where it has grown naturally for years.

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