By now, the growing adoption of cannabis all over the world has made the industry one of the most impressive in terms of growth and development. Its subsequent entry into the mainstream market, most particularly as a medical product, has generated fortunes for many and forged a new sector. There’s just one problem. Everybody talks a good game, but nobody can back up their claims.
The adoption of cannabis has made the industry one of the most impressive in terms of growth. In addition, its subsequent entry into the mainstream market has generated fortunes for many and forged a new sector.
The pot industry has been operating in the shadows for a long time. This is largely due to its classification as a schedule 1 drug. Furthermore, the signing of the Farm Bill in 2018 turned the cannabis sector over by legalizing hemp.
Hemp legalization was on condition of its content, which is a lower concentration of THC. If the product exceeds a 0.3 percent THC limit, the product is then labeled an illicit drug. This is per the US federal regulations.
To thrive in the multi-billion pot market, growers and companies will need to grow and distribute better strains. What better way than to understand the genetic makeup of the plant?
Through identifying the DNA of the cannabis plant, growers will be able to produce a suitable product for the market by identifying the traits in the cannabis seedlings, to determine THC and CBD content. With this, industry experts are saying that the next stage in the cannabis market lies in genetic engineering.
A Panama based company, TheraCann, is already set in using the potential of DNA sequencing, in the cannabis sector. In addition, the company uses DNA tracking to identify different strains of the cannabis plant.
With many different players in the cannabis market, companies can claim any number of advantages that make their product superior with no way of verifying their claims. Furthermore, DNA tagging works in the advantage of consumers and producers as each product is verifiable.
DNA mapping of cannabis is important as it could help scientists and researchers identify compounds that have health benefits and single them out for health and wellness advancement.
TheraCann reported that it had entered into an agreement with Applied DNA to use its tagging platform. They mean to keep an eye on the supply chain of various cannabis products to ensure compliance and authenticity.
Protecting the supply chain of cannabis is crucial in powering up the legal cannabis industry. However, TheraCann’s CEO Jason Warnock said that countries are in need of protecting their supply chain.
Identifying and recording different cannabis strains in the market will also help in regulating the sector. Regulatory authorities can use this information to oversee the patenting of various cannabis strains while keeping out scammers and the black market operators.
Blockchain technology has steered far from its initial intended purpose of managing cryptocurrency transactions and into different applications across various industries. In TheraCann’s case, it uses TruTrace blockchain technology to tag the DNA of various cannabis products. This makes it easier to trace the hemp from the market back to its seed origin to guarantee its authenticity.
TruTrace’s platform enables the cannabis industry to verify data on cannabis strains and also keep records in its database called StrainSecure. Furthermore, users can just go online and check the validity of a certain strain as they can verify the tests done via the platform.
(Featured Image by DepositPhotos)
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