On December 17, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced its first crackdown on deceptive marketing claims for CBD products. These claims cover a range of scientifically unsupported benefits, including cancer, heart disease, hypertension, and Alzhe…
Cannabis Industry Science News
University of Mississippi’s federal pact for cannabis R&D to be renewed
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) said it again intends to award a federal contract to the University of Mississippi to grow cannabis for federal research purposes. To date, the university has been the only institution granted such permission…
Study provides clues about how minor cannabinoids work in the body
We’re learning a lot about the ways THC and CBD interact with the endocannabinoid system (ECS) to stimulate appetite and help treat pain, anxiety, and epileptic seizures. But cannabis contains a vast array of minor cannabinoids as well. What is their t…
Biomedican successfully biosynthesizes two rare cannabinoids
A California life sciences company named Biomedican is drawing significant attention for the rapid progress it’s made in patented, low-cost methods of biosynthesizing rare cannabinoids. The company uses a proprietary strain of yeast named Yarrowia lipo…
Full US House expected to take up medical cannabis research bill
The U.S. House of Representatives is poised to vote on a bill this week to accelerate medical cannabis research, a move that could strengthen support for broader reform. The vote, expected as soon as Wednesday, comes on the heels of the House passing a…
Consumers don’t know THC and CBD levels in cannabis products
A new study shows consumers are unable to identify cannabinoid levels in products they use. Further, 20-50 percent don’t know the THC:CBD ratio of the products they normally use. This lack of consumer awareness could have implications for the safety an…
Cannabis strain names don’t mean much, give ‘false sense of diversity’
What happened when researchers took thousands of cannabis samples representing 396 strain names to a laboratory? The analyzed samples turned out to be a whopping three distinct chemical varieties of cannabis. From the analysis, the scientists concluded…
Resin is more potent than ever, but CBD levels hold steady
Consumer demand has been pushing the THC potency of herbal cannabis upward for decades, but does that increased potency extend to cannabis resin, and to CBD levels, as well? A new report has answers. The systematic review and meta-analysis of studies b…
Ideal decarboxylation conditions found to maximize THC, CBD
How hot is just hot enough? As with so much else involving cannabis, it’s a challenging balance. Cannabis producers need precise manufacturing processes to maximize concentrations of THC and CBD in finished products. Recent decarboxylation research, ca…
Funding flows to Canadian cannabis research projects
Despite the generally poor economic environment and the tight financing facing cannabis businesses, two cannabis innovation projects based in Canada have secured new funding. Hyasynth Biologicals—a six-year-old, Montreal-based biotechnology company tha…