Pubdate: Thu, 30 Mar 2017
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Copyright: 2017 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477
Author: Randy Share
Page: A5

UBC LAB REVEALS GENES THAT BOLSTER POT

Scientists at the University of B.C. have identified about 30 genes
related to the characteristic flavours of cannabis, from the
nose-wrinkling funk of skunk to the distinctive earthiness of purple
kush.

The finding, published Wednesday in the journal Plos One, is a first
step toward standardizing different varieties of B.C.'s iconic intoxicant.

As Canada hurtles toward a new legal environment for recreational
cannabis, breeders and growers will be anxious to identify different
varieties of cannabis for flavour, but also for their psychoactive
effects and potency, said Jorg Bohlmann, a professor in the Michael
Smith Laboratories.

The federal government pledged this week to legalize marijuana by July
1, 2018.

"When you have a quality product that people are willing to pay a high
price for, they expect a well-defined and consistent product," said
Bohlmann.

Bohlmann likens the complex interaction of dozens of flavour genes to
the sound of an orchestra, in which each song is a specific
combination of instruments of different tone and volume.

The flavours of wine and cannabis are heavily influenced by the
presence of a variety of chemical compounds called terpenes produced
by the plant in certain amounts, many of which are found in both wine
grapes and cannabis flowers. The researchers scanned the genome of
cannabis plants to identify genes known to be associated with flavour
in other plants.

"In the wine industry, grape varieties are highly standardized, but
with cannabis it's a bit of a wild west," he said. "The plants have
all sorts of names and when it comes to the cannabinoids - the
psychoactive compounds - there is a scary level of variation in potency."

Medicinal marijuana growers and a soon-to-be legitimized recreational
marijuana industry will be interested in flavour, but even more
interested in defining and standardizing the therapeutic and
psychoactive chemistry of cannabis, said UBC botanist Jon Page,
founder of Anandia Labs, a biotech and cannabis testing firm.

"A big focus of breeding in Canada has been about increasing or
modifying the levels of compounds such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
and cannabidiol," he said. "It may be that terpenes, which affect
flavour and fragrance, are also modifying the psychoactive and
therapeutic properties (of marijuana)."
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MAP posted-by: Matt