In 1961 the U.S. became a party to the United Nations Single Convention
on Narcotic Drugs. That Convention expressly recognized the distinction between
marijuana and industrial hemp, exempting the latter from coverage. "This Convention
shall not apply to the cultivation of the Cannabis plant exclusively for industrial purposes
(fiber and seed) or horticultural purposes." UN Convention Against Illicit Traffic in
Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, 1961. The United Nations Convention
Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (1990, supplement
to the UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs) did not concern itself with such
botanical aspects of the Cannabis plant as THC. 18 U.S. T. 1408, Article 28(2). The
terms of this treaty concerned the use to which the plant is put. As such, this treaty does
not constrain its signatories' freedom to allow industrial hemp agriculture. Canada,
Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria-all countries with expanding hemp
acreage-are signatories to this convention.