A plant native to Brazil produces CBD, but not THC.
Researchers at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) announced that Trema micrantha blume, a species of plant native to Brazil, “can expand the use of cannabidiol (CBD) for medicinal purposes without legal barriers.”
CBD has been found in the plants fruit and flowers, but not THC.
The Brazilian National Congress is debating cannabis reforms that would include THC, but so far, CBD is only approved to treat pediatric seizure disorders with a doctor’s prescription.
“In the case of the Brazilian plant, this would not be a problem, because there is nothing of THC in it. There would also be no legal restriction on planting, because it can be planted at will. In fact, it is already spread all over Brazil. It would be an easier and cheaper source to get cannabidiol,” said Rodrigo Soares Moura Neto, the research coordinator at the Institute of Biology at UFRJ.
Now, chemists, biologists, geneticists and botanists are researching the best ways to extract CBD from the plant.
This research was funded by the Agricultural Sciences, the Carlos Chagas Filho Foundation for Research Support in Rio de Janeiro (Faperj), associated with the State Government’s Secretariat for Science, Technology and Innovation.
Like to get wonky on ag? Check out the Berkeley Cannabis Research Center.
A little known fact is that every school in the University of California (UC) system, from UCLA to UCBerkeley, has established a cannabis research center in the years since the state legalized cannabis for adult use.
So, in today’s newsletter, we wanted to put a spotlight on one of those centers. The Berkeley Cannabis Research Center focuses on, in their words, “the social and environmental dimensions of cannabis agriculture and production.”
The range of what the Center does is impressive. One output, published last year, is an interactive series of maps from Josephine County Oregon that allows people to visualize a landscape changed by legalization.
They also publish research on, most recently, the different “water demands of permitted and unpermitted cannabis cultivation in Northern California,” and, last year, on “the vulnerability of California’s cannabis agriculture to wildfire.”
The Center is a must-watch for anyone with an interest in the complex conversation about the future of cannabis agriculture.
PAX goes plant-touching with edibles.
PAX announced PAX Live Rosin Gummies, the vape hardware company’s first edible THC product.
The product will launch this month in Massachusetts, with California, Colorado and NewYork to follow.
