Israeli-based cannabis technology company GemmaCert unveiled a new product this week that can test cannabis and within minutes reveal its tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content. The product, which is also called GemmaCert, can detect if THC is as low as 0.2%. The key level when it comes to U.S. law enforcement is 0.3% -- if the THC content exceeds that, the plant is classified as marijuana.
Since marijuana is illegal federally, people may not transport it across state lines. The challenge is that hemp is legal federally, but it looks like marijuana. The only reliable way for law enforcement personnel to differentiate between the two is by testing it. Using the technology currently available to them, that's not a fast process, and it usually requires labs to do further testing.
This can lead police to wrongfully arrest individuals transporting perfectly legal hemp on suspicion of transporting marijuana.