5 Plants That Are Often Mistaken for Marijuana

Georgia police raided a marijuana farm in 2014, but they soon realized it was actually an okra farm. The police arrived at the farmer’s doorstep with a canine unit intending to bust him for cannabis, but they discovered several plants of the green vegetable. Both okra and cannabis are green and leafy, so from afar they share a resemblance, especially because okra has five leaflets and cannabis can have up to 13. This incident certainly is not the only time in which the police or people have confused another plant for marijuana, because there are quite a few that are often mistaken for cannabis.

Mint is another example of a plant that resembles the marijuana plant because first, they are both leafy and green. The two plants also have a similar growth pattern because they both grow into busy structures with several leafy branches that bloom into buds. Mint is also similar in appearance because some varieties grow fuzzy leaves, much like the resin-heavy hairs and crystally trichomes that cover cannabis plants. Cleome, more commonly known as Spider Flowers, are also mistaken for marijuana because the plant produces leaves almost identical to cannabis leaves. The flower also grows to similar heights as mature marijuana plants.