Agriculture technology companies are competing to develop new strains of cannabis plants that can produce consistent cannabinoid levels and thus offer consumers repeatable, predictable effects. The goal is far from new—and likely ancient. Only now, top plant scientists are working toward it in multi-million dollar labs for massive retail cannabis companies, instead of underground breeders and growers.
Not that craft breeders haven’t perfected their craft; indeed, many of today’s most commercially successful strains are the result of efforts to produce high-quality, consistent effects for consumers. But the historic developments in the global cannabis industry have created huge incentive for companies to patent their own strains. And with competition from cannabis extracts and concentrates that offer more predictable effects and a higher degree of control over dosage, the demand for dependable flower is higher than ever.
Scientists Quest After Cannabis’ Holy Grail: Flower With Consistent Cannabinoid Levels
Cannabis sativa is a plant with an incredible variety of smells, tastes, looks and of course, effects. And breeders have always tried to harness that variety to grow strains that bring out a particular feature set, giving rise to the astounding proliferation of cannabis strains that exists today. Growers and retailers try to make sense of all this variety with a kind of ad hoc classification system. If a strain makes you sleepy and relaxes you, call it an indica. If it energizes you and stimulates your perceptions, call it a sativa. Piece together its genetic heritage to come up with a new strain name portmanteaux: Ghost Train Haze, or Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies.
Variation within a given strain is, however, often greater than variations between them. And that makes much of today’s strain nomenclature meaningless, save for