SAN ANTONIO – Taking a closer look at both the marijuana and hemp plants and you will discover the huge difference between the two. Hemp plants have .3 percent or less of THC, while the marijuana plants have a higher level. Their appearance from far away may look the same but when you get close the hemp plant grows taller and skinnier, while the marijuana plant has buds, or flowers, and doesn’t grow as tall. The dried flowers of a marijuana plant are what people smoke. Hemp is legal to grow and possess in Texas and marijuana isn’t.