Indopedia All Things Marijuana
A research group at the University of California-Davis has joined forces with a Colorado-based biotech firm, Front Range Biosciences, to create a genomic map for industrial hemp.
The UC-Davis project, led by viticulturist and enologist Dario Cantu, will only sequence the genes for hemp, a variety of cannabis with less than 0.3 percent THC (read: it won’t get anyone high).
“We are now excited to have the opportunity to study the genome of hemp,” said Cantu in an Oct. 26 press release. “Decoding its genome will allow us to gain new insight into the genetic bases of complex pathways of secondary metabolism in plants.”
Cantu’s lab is only handling the DNA sequencing and computational genetics portion of the project. Tissue culturing, DNA extraction, and funding for the project comes from Front Range Biosciences, which specializes in breeding cannabis and providing disease-free clones to licensed cannabis operations.
Both Front Range Biosciences and UC-Davis can conduct their research with little to no federal interference. This is partly due to the 2014 federal “Farm Bill,” which permits hemp cultivation for research purposes so long as it’s approved…
