Scientists Reveal Raman Spectrometer Can Tell Hemp & Marijuana Apart With 100% Accuracy!

This is great news for the law enforcement community in North Carolina!  This is the tool they have been looking for!  Now, Federal Grant Money from the Edward Byrne Grant can purchase these lasers for local police forces to help them determine the difference between Hemp and Marijuana!

A team of researchers at Texas A&M University published a study last month in the journal RSC Advances.  The team were able to “determine whether plant material is hemp or [marijuana] with 100% accuracy” by using a hand-held laser device called a Raman spectrometer (RS).

“These findings suggest that a hand-held Raman spectrometer can be an ideal tool for police officers and hemp breeders to enable highly accurate diagnostics of THCA content in plants,” the researchers concluded.

The promising new laser technology could mean fewer headaches on the part of state and federal regulators—and a lower risk of getting tied up with law enforcement for law-abiding hemp traders.  With the right tools, officials could quickly determine whether a plant in question is hemp or marijuana, which remains prohibited federally and in several states.

“The researchers noted that their device detects delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) which is itself non-psychoactive but turns into the intoxicating compound THC when it undergoes decarboxylation (usually by being heated). “[W]e can speculate that RS allows to predict the amount of THC in the analyzed sample without necessary oxidation of THCA to THC,” they wrote.”

“Hemp is defined under federal law as having no more than 0.3 percent total THC, with a negligence threshold of 0.5 percent. And while there’s strong bipartisan interest in ensuring that hemp farmers have the resources they need following the crop’s federal legalization, proving that the plant isn’t marijuana currently requires costly and lengthy laboratory analysis.”

Thanks to the author Matt Saintsing for revealing this research.  Read his full Article Titled:  “Lasers Can Tell Hemp And Marijuana Apart With ‘100 Percent Accuracy,’ Scientists Reveal”