Good news for Plant Breeders, The Canadian Food Inspection Agency which administers the Plant Breeders' Rights Act (1990) and the regulations that provide legal protection to plant breeders for new plant varieties, has accepted its first application for a Cannabis Strain. Though the application was submitted in December 2013 it was 6 months before it was published. Big C, as it is called (Botannical Name: Cannabis sativa subsp. Indica) has a long way to go before rights may be granted. The process involves testing and plant trials, and site examinations, and the breeder must be able to show that the variety is new, and different from all other varieties. It must be uniform across all plants bred from the same stock and hold its genetic integrity through successive generations which takes time to prove.
There has been much kerfuffle in the news over the question of patents on cannabis, with the US Federal government in the middle of the debate. United States federal government officials have consistently denied that marijuana has any medical benefits, however US Patent 6630507 titled “Cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants” was obtained in October of 2003 and is assigned to The United States of America, as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services.
While plant breeders will celebrate the small victory of getting the application for Big C listed, marijuana activists are likely to be less impressed. Strict regulations on medical marijuana like those enforced by Health Canada, have long been feared to be stacking the odds in favour of large pharmaceutical companies and big business plant researchers, who have laboratory facilities and money on their side.
For patients, who rely on cannabis for medicine; tighter controls, and patented plants that guarantee accurate and consistent levels of THC and CBD, may be the biggest win of all.
For more information
GGS Structures
Doug Moore
sales@ggsstructures.com
www.ggs-greenhouse.com





Announcements
Job Offers
"Tweeting Growers"
Top 5 -yesterday
- UK: Grower reduces greenhouse temperature by more than 6°C during heatwave with no cooling, fog systems
- Understanding the profitability of your greenhouse
- Agave: The new drought-tolerant California crop?
- Patromex and DIDIHU partnership invests in modern plant for value-added coconut substrates
- US: Larry Ellison is feeding Hawaii from his high-tech hydroponic farm on Lanai
Top 5 -last month
- Vertical farming technologies tool in researching and fighting diseases
- German retailer Kaufland and horti-family Reichenspurner open new greenhouse
- "Water is the new gold"
- Growing strawberries from seeds becoming increasingly popular
- Higher productivity and earliness are the story behind these pink greenhouses
US: Can you patent Cannabis?
Publication date:
Receive the daily newsletter in your email for free | Click here
Other news in this sector:
- 2022-08-12 Understanding the profitability of your greenhouse
- 2022-08-11 "European retailers want alternatives to possible decline of lit Dutch tomato acreage this winter"
- 2022-08-11 Movement of Mexican asparagus through Arizona, California and Texas expected to remain about the same
- 2022-08-11 Total ad numbers this week saw 2% increase from last week
- 2022-08-11 "Vegetable supplies are severely disrupted this season as growers face a crisis under a mountain of challenges"
- 2022-08-11 UK farmers count cost as heatwave kills fruit and vegetable crops
- 2022-08-11 "Kawaguchi tomato variety good option for consumer, but also good for the grower"
- 2022-08-11 The benefits of agtech in urban buildings
- 2022-08-11 Nigeria: Lagosians see pepper prices go up by 100% in two weeks
- 2022-08-11 Unprecedented challenges ahead for the Fresh Herbs Industry
- 2022-08-11 Orange and Dragon Agriculture: Avocados should be considered a healthy food rather than a daily fruit
- 2022-08-10 Southeastern European countries importing more and more fresh fruits and vegetables
- 2022-08-10 NZ: Microgreens business bounces back after Covid
- 2022-08-10 Snacking vegetable market continuing to grow despite global challenges
- 2022-08-09 Carbon footprint of importing food could be 7.5x higher than thought
- 2022-08-09 Canada again puts import requirements on US romaine lettuce
- 2022-08-09 South Korea: Oversupply of smart farming vegetables calls for more supply platforms
- 2022-08-09 Unusual heat doubled tomato prices in Tajikistan
- 2022-08-08 Hungary: What are the challenges and opportunities today for horti growers?
- 2022-08-08 US: Updates and annual facility certification for the offshore greenhouse certification program