Global Ganja Report

A small Massachusetts-based company called Medicinal Genomics has announced the sequencing of the entire genomes of the species cannabis sativa and cannabis indica, opening the way for more research into the therapeutic effects of the plant—including its potential for treating cancer and inflammatory diseases. The company published the genetic code Aug. 18 on Amazon.com's EC2 cloud-computing system.

"This is the beginning of a more scientific approach to the genetics of the species," Richard Gibbs, director of the Human Genome Sequencing Center at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, told Bloomberg. "This is not really about marijuana; it's about pharmacology." Researchers have even broached "weeding out" (pun apparently intended) cannabis' psychoactive effects while enhancing the medicinal aspects of the plant. Cannabis' cancer-fighting potential has received growing attention from the medical establishment in recent months.

Medicinal Genomics is headquartered in Marblehead, Mass., with research facilities in Amsterdam. (Boston Globe, Aug. 20; GEN, Aug. 19; CBS News, Aug. 18)

Photo by Drome