USDA Approves Low-THC Hemp Plants for U.S. Production, Breeding

A variety of hemp plants that have been genetically modified to produce little or no THC have been approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to be safe to grow and propagate on U.S. soil.

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) last week prepared and filed a notice regarding the Indiana-based plant. Research that grows togetheris a biotechnology company specializing in cannabis, hemp, psychedelics, and agriculture. APHIS regulates “the movement of living organisms modified or produced by genetic engineering.”

“APHIS has found that this processed hemp is less likely to increase the risk of plant pests compared to other cultivated hemp,” the USDA states. news Said. “As a result, it is not subject to regulation under 7 CFR Part 340. From a plant pest risk perspective, this hemp may be safely grown and raised in the United States.”

Presented at Growing Together Research June This year, they announced that they had achieved the ability to regulate the amount of delta-9 THC expressed in plants. They say the reason behind the experiment was to try to help U.S. cannabis farmers whose crops are “hot”, meaning they are above the allotted 0.3% THC limit, which by law requires the entire crop to be destroyed. I believe that.

GTR’s same announcement hints at ongoing experiments in an attempt to force cannabis plants to produce more THC than normal, and speculates that this feat will resonate much more favorably with the majority of people. That’s all I can do. high times Readership.

“Based on its proven ability to ‘down’ or ‘turn off’ the genes encoding THC expression, GTR is now applying the same technology to ‘up’ THC expression. GTR will soon begin working with Canadian-based academic and commercial partners to create cannabis varieties with enhanced THC expression. “The initial set of high-THC varieties are expected to be produced by the third quarter of 2023,” GTR said in June.

No announcements have been made regarding this superweed yet, but GTR says nearly 10 percent of America’s hemp crops had to be destroyed between 2018 and 2020 due to testing for too high delta-9 THC levels. It is estimated that They also suggested that current testing methods may be leading to uneven levels of THC and other cannabinoids in hemp-derived products.

GTR described its ability to regulate THC levels up or down as a “delta-9 dial” activated by editing specific genes. They likened this process to a menu of genetic traits that can essentially be selected using a genomics platform. This is thought to be able to block or accelerate the production of delta-9 THC, the compound traditionally associated with cannabis’s “high.”

“Understanding the mechanics of the THC pathway is perhaps the most important element in truly unlocking the potential of cannabis and hemp,” said Sam Proctor, CEO of GTR. “We are very excited about the results to date and look forward to further innovation for the benefit of stakeholders across the cannabis and hemp supply chain.”

Based on USDA announcements, these new hemp genetics include delta-8 THC, which has skyrocketed in popularity since Donald Trump legalized commercial hemp production under the 2018 Farm Bill. It was not immediately clear whether levels of such hemp-derived cannabinoids were changing or decreasing.

Hemp-derived gummies, vapes, and isolates can now be found in head shops across the country and are even sold in certain states where cannabis is still medically and recreationally illegal. This includes the sale of “THC-A flower,” also known as regular cannabis flower, that has been tested in a specific way that circumvents delta-9 THC regulations by keeping the THC in its decarboxylated form, THC-A.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s primary mission is to determine whether genetically modified hemp plants pose a “plant pest risk,” which is largely left to the USDA, rather than regulating the compounds found in the plants. , we may soon learn more about the new hemp plant. FDA and DEA. This is according to the Plant Protection Act, which gives the Department of Agriculture “authority to oversee the detection, control, eradication, suppression, prevention, or slowing of the spread of plant pests to protect the agriculture, environment, and economy of the United States.” Thing. ”

After a thorough review, the USDA has determined that GTR’s new edible hemp plant is not a plant pest risk, so the plant is free to grow and grow throughout the continental United States unless further clarification is received from other federal agencies. It was determined that they could be bred.