Ditch weed, in short, is also known as Feral Cannabis and is a variety of wild marijuana. It is a type of wild cannabis that has been brought out from industrial hemp plants that were once grown for their fiber. It contains little to no amounts of THC content in them.
What Is Ditch Weed?
In simple words, ditch weed is the lowest grade of cannabis. It was standard practice, before the regulations relaxed, for users to use weed of extremely low quality. Ditch weed was a common alternative to something of high – quality, that was often banned across states.
The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in the US, defines Ditch weed as cannabis plants that have grown in the wild and dispersed. They show no signs of having been planted, nourished, or cared for by any particular individual.
Ditch weed is incredibly strong and resilient. It spreads its seeds across the areas it grows. An interesting fact about them is that these seeds can remain dormant for up to ten years before sprouting!
Although the THC content in them is little to none, some individuals claim that if you dry and cure the ditch weed enough, it might still be usable. However, if you are looking to get high, we would not recommend consuming ditch weed. It has been established that Ditch weed has a very low THC content. This indicates that reports of its intoxicating effects are sometimes quite overblown.
What Does It Look Like?
Ditch weed is different to look at from your normal strains of marijuana. It stands out because it is taller than the majority of the plants around it and has a unique shape and color. Ditch weed has a deep, emerald-green hue and can reach heights of up to nine feet. A ditch weed plant can be identified from a great distance thanks to its conical shape like a pine tree top.
Ditch weed, as evident by its name, is a rather colloquial term for marijuana that is frequently discovered beside roads in ditches. The Department of Agriculture in the United States first used the term ‘ditch weed’ to refer to these plants in the early 1900s.
Does Ditch Weed Have Any Benefits?
Consuming ditch weed has no advantages in the long run. Industrial hemp was what it was derived from, and this was grown more for its fiber strength than for the variety of terpenes or cannabinoids it contained in it.
While some of the hemp grown now includes more CBD, most ditch weed studies indicate that it contains only a little amount of these cannabinoids that are considered advantageous and not nearly enough to have a detectable effect on the human body. Contrary to anecdotal reports, ditch weed does not cause any sort of intoxication.
Ditch weed, as grown in the wild, lacks both the advantages and safeguards provided by a plant grown by a marijuana cultivator. The marijuana plants that are discovered in ditches have likely been damaged by the weather, attacked by bugs, and most likely deemed unfit due to the dearth of nutrients in the unfertilized soil. They may even contain heavy metals or other toxins on some occasions. You must exercise caution at all times before consuming such ditch weed, which has grown in questionable conditions.
The Big Question Is – Is It Legal?
There have been certain cases where being caught with ditch weed has been questioned. The legal repercussions of being caught with wild marijuana, however, are not made apparent by the legislation passed so far. Ditch weed is legally allowed under the Farm Bill of 2018 in the United States, as it is related to industrial hemp and has little to no THC content in it.
Officers of law enforcement agencies are unlikely to attempt to distinguish between ditch weed and the good–quality variety grown by cultivators, especially in states such as Iowa, Nebraska, or Kansas where cannabis is still prohibited. According to some reports, some law enforcement officers keep an eye out for people stockpiling free cannabis from ditches in and around the areas they operate. Also, they sometimes look for those who knowingly grow marijuana before coming back to harvest it. This is against the law.
If you do want to use the product, it is advisable that you stick to dispensaries and use tested products from the shelves for a better experience.
