As legal recreational marijuana is approaching the Canadian market as soon as next year, the amount of money that has gone into the industry has exploded. Interestingly, much of the money is going towards the science pertaining to growing cannabis on mass. This is extremely applicable to the food industry and can potentially alter the landscape of how our entire world produces food. There is also a focus on the plant itself, particularly on how to optimize on it’s many different compounds and how they can be used to treat patients.
Existing Studies on Cannabis
Currently, there is an extreme lack of research in the Marijuana industry. Because there has been stigmas associated with the plant, due to a smear campaign by one man in the 1920’s, people have avoided it. Right now there is a race by pharmaceutical companies to capitalize on this huge gap as their is billions of dollars up for grabs in sales coming in the near future. There are studies going into things such as:
Growing better plants
Optimizing on indoor growing environments (irrigation, lighting, fertilization and soilless technology)
Vertical farming
Artificial lighting
Exploring the 150 compounds found in cannabis, not just THC and CBD
The results of these studies could easily create an economic engine for a country like Canada that will carry us for the next 300 years. Not only can this research be used to better understand the plant, but it will affect the entire way our civilization understands food production and indoor hydroponic systems.
Investing in the future of Medical Marijuana
Because the marijuana research space is so exciting and new, many universities are lending their greatest minds. For example, Guelph University has always had an expansive horticultural focus and has recently been conducting research surrounding marijuana. Last week a team of two environmental science professors and a graduate student published a research paper, one they called the first of its kind and the first of many to come, about optimizing the growth of medicinal cannabis indoors.
Along with universities, many of the large Licenced Producers (currently 60 in Canada) are throwing much of their revenue back into better facilities, research and science. Some of these companies have received investments from huge venture capital companies as well.
