Israeli Company Wants to Grow “Designer” Cannabis

An Israeli company called KanaboSeed is in the early stages of developing so-called “designer” strains of medical cannabis that are genetically orchestrated to specific conditions and needs.

For example, if your condition benefits from high CBD and you don’t particularly enjoy the THC part of the plant, KanaboSeed wants to design a strain just for you.

“…researchers working in the nascent medical marijuana business, [are] hoping to develop strains of cannabis that have improved CBD-to-THC ratios. THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the chemical responsible for most of marijuana’s psychological effects, and is the component of cannabis that most interests casual users of cannabis; the more THC, the better the high. Those who use marijuana to relieve chronic pain also seek strains with higher levels of THC than CBD; those strains are more effective at masking pain…CBD, or cannabidiol, has been shown in many studies to have important medical benefits, such as in the treatment of schizophrenia, depression, rheumatoid arthritis, colitis, liver inflammation, heart disease and diabetes.”

Though later in this article it is mentioned that the plan is to diminish the THC content for medical marijuana (which is a common sentiment among MMJ scientists), it was refreshing to finally read an article that at least cursorily mentioned that some people might benefit from a higher THC content as well.

So much thought goes into removing the high from cannabis, but I’ve always thought the high was one of the key parts to why it was so effective. I acknowledge that my reasons for taking medical cannabis lean more to the mental aspect over the physical, so perhaps that is why I think that the THC is important.

I think there is some capitalism at play in KanaboSeed’s vision. That is, I think they are trying to design and perhaps copyright their strains as intellectual property which generally comes back to money. But still, they are aiming to create natural medicine that is tailor-made for what ails you and I can get behind that.