Science has worked with the legal cannabis industry and together they have developed a successful method for editing cannabis genes. This type of technology is groundbreaking in the cannabis community and holds vast potential for medical cannabis patients. It could lead to better cannabis, and consistent cannabis, and ultimately gives cultivators immense control over their crops without stepping into the questionable world of GMOs.
Cannabis gene editing is not GMO and is proving it can be a most useful resource for the industrial hemp industry. That same tech used in the hemp industry is also being applied to the legal recreational and medical cannabis space. That tech is gene editing. This newly developed technique genetically modulates the expression of THC. Basically, gene editing allows for the control of THC levels and other factors in cannabis. Industrial hemp is only permitted a maximum THC level of 0.3% in the U.S. Anything above this is considered, “hot hemp”.
To avoid issues with industrial hemp cultivars going over their legal THC limit, growers employed the use of science. Science stepped in and offered a solution that would prevent plants from reaching a THC level that was too high. The solution science offered was cannabis gene editing. By employing this science, growers were able to home in on the part of the cannabis plant responsible for the production of THC and dial it into a specific target like 0.2% THC.
These results can be reached with almost all varieties of cannabis. With such success in helping to control the THC levels in industrial hemp crops, the tech is now being utilized with high THC cannabis. by using the cannabis gene-editing technology in the legal cannabis industry, consistent THC levels of 30% or more can be achieved and maintained by growers.
This is great news for medical cannabis patients who benefit from high THC percentages in products. This could mean that in the not-to-distant future, medical cannabis dispensaries could carry strains of cannabis with consistent THC levels. Consistency with medical cannabis is an issue that many people face.
All too often, medical cannabis patients will go to their local cannabis dispensary to get more of their medicine of choice only to find out the dispensary is out of it. Patients could try another dispensary, but it is very unlikely that the strain they are after would be the same there. Or patients get the same strain from their dispensary, and it doesn’t seem to be as strong or work as well. Let’s look at what is making a change in medical cannabis bringing consistency to a previously inconsistent plant.
Cannabis Gene Editing Using CRISPR-Cas9 Technology
Cannabis gene editing is a relatively new field for the cannabis industry. CRISPR-Cas9 is the gene-editing technology most commonly being used. Information published on Science News for Students, a .org website, explains the cannabis gene-editing process explaining,
“The new cannabis gene-editing technology CRISPR/Cas9 in its original form is a homing device (the CRISPR part) that guides molecular scissors (the Cas9 enzyme) to a target section of DNA. Together, they work as a genetic-engineering cruise missile that disables or repairs a gene or inserts something new where the Cas9 scissors has made some cuts.”
This means that growers in the cannabis space can produce more consistent results when cultivating popular strains of cannabis. The process of making this happen is a work of science that can bring about possible changes beyond controlled cannabinoid levels. Some of the possible changes that could occur when a company utilizes cannabis gene editing are climate tolerance, biomass improvements, disease resistance, terpene changes, increased trichome production, and more.
Utilizing the genetic editing process called CRISPR-Cas9, the genetic profile of a cannabis plant can be altered. A cultivator has to first identify a target section of the DNA. After the target section is identified, an RNA strand is attached to the cas9 enzyme. The CRISPR part helps the RNA to home in on the targeted section of DNA while the cas9 enzyme acts as scissors cutting the targeted section of DNA. The missing segment of DNA removed by the cas9 enzyme is replaced with new genetic material. The end result is the modified DNA of the cannabis plant.
What Does It All Mean and Just How Does It Work?
Basically, CRISPR-Cas9 technology means that cultivators of cannabis have a new tool in their arsenal to help them within the fragile world of cannabis cultivation. Those who use this tech will find they produce a consistent product. This is very important if we are going to really treat cannabis as medicine.
Most medical cannabis patients have a few strains of cannabis products they like. Some medical cannabis patients rely on strain-specific products or a combination of specific strains to get the right cannabis tincture or cannabis oil that works for them. By being able to dial in cannabinoid levels to consistent percentages, better quality and more consistent medical cannabis can be established.
Medical cannabis is here to stay. The quality and consistency of medical cannabis are something that needs to be greatly improved upon in many places. Low-grade cannabis sets the bar for the industry in too many situations. They call it a budget weed. It’s sort of like discount meds. What you save in costs, you sacrifice in quality. When the cannabis gets better (better tasting, and more potent) the price goes up. What if all cannabis that was grown was good? The price could even out to be affordable.
If the medical cannabis cultivation community could put out consistent crops, of top-quality medicine, with reoccurring and precise cannabinoid profiles, the grounds for insurance covering medical cannabis costs gains foundational reinforcement. Somewhere a scientist is working on altering a strain of cannabis to improve it. Crops of high THC cannabis produced using this new cannabis gene-editing technology will be available soon. Rumor has it that they could be hitting consumer markets by the start of 2023.
How do you feel about cannabis gene editing? Do you think that improving cannabis using this science will prove to be beneficial to the medical cannabis community?
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