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Marijuana or hemp? New tech can help Texas law enforcement tell the difference

4 years 1 month 1 day ago Monday, February 24 2020 Feb 24, 2020 February 24, 2020 10:14 PM February 24, 2020 in News - Local

SAN JUAN – With Texas law enforcement agencies having a hard time distinguishing the difference between marijuana and hemp, new technology is promising to help.

In June 2019, the law changed to allow the production and sale of hemp products in the state, but it’s still a big change to get used to. Especially during a traffic stop; Jessie Martinez, a local CBD shop owner, explained a situation he faced transporting his product.

Martinez says he had a lot of product in his car when he was pulled over for a seatbelt violation. He tried to explain to the officer and pulled out paperwork from the manufacturer.

It’s a waste of time not just for people who buy and sell hemp, but also for the officers who have to investigate what the green nugs actually are.

An assistant professor at Texas A&M says over the course of last year, he and colleagues went to Colorado to take traces of chemical samples of hemp and marijuana. The traces called “Raman spectroscopy” are read by a scanner and it can be done on the spot.

Watch the video above for the full report.

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