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Spanish company develops first THC-free cannabis plant

A Spanish company, Hemp Trading, has developed a new cannabis strain that has no THC. This development became possible after the company partnered with UPV (Universitat Politecnica de Valencia) university in Spain. The new cannabis plant is expected to have numerous therapeutic benefits.

This first-of-a-kind marijuana strain has no legal restrictions imposed upon it since it doesn’t contain any controlled ingredient in it, especially the psychoactive THC which is responsible for the controlled substance status of marijuana around the world.

Ernesto Liosa, the CEO of Hemp Trading, reveals that the company developed this unique cannabis strain by blocking some of the steps through which the biosynthesis of cannabinoids takes place as a cannabis plant grows.

The company’s scientists managed to block the formation of THC while increasing the quantity of cannabigerol (CBG). CBG has several possible medicinal effects. The researchers discovered that CBG is the first cannabinoid of cannabis to form. Consequently, CBG can be regarded as the “mother cell of marijuana” because as the plant grows, CBG is transformed into the two major known cannabinoids (CBD and THC) as well as the other dozens of cannabinoids present in cannabis. This conversion causes CBG to disappear almost completely.

This research has therefore made it possible for the levels of CBG in cannabis to be elevated to concentrations which were unheard of. The other strains of marijuana on the market have concentrations of CBG which range between 0.1 percent and 0.5 percent. The strain developed by Hemp Trading raises the CBG concentration to 15 percent.

The minute quantity of CBG in the current cannabis plants meant that hardly any research was done on this cannabinoid by the scientific community. Most attention went to CBD and THC since these occur in large amounts in most cannabis plants.

Now that CBG has been boosted to 15 percent, the way has been opened for the scientific community to look into the potential therapeutic uses of this cannabinoid.

CBG holds great promise because it is easier to extract when compared to how CBD is extracted from the existing strains of marijuana. The extracts have to be purified to get rid of the THC content. Even hemp which is known for its low THC level must also undergo this purification process in order to eliminate those trace amounts of THC.

The strain developed by UPV and Hemp Trading will be more affordable to process in order to extract the CBG since there is no THC in the plant. The savings made during this extraction process are certain to make the products more competitive on the market.

So far, CBG has been linked to fighting inflammation, reducing intraocular pressure (thereby showing promise in fighting glaucoma), fighting insomnia and depression. More research is likely to unearth additional therapeutic benefits.

Supreme Cannabis Company and Sugarmade congratulate Hemp Trading and UPV upon their "groundbreaking research which will take the medical cannabis sector to another level."

Source CNW

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