The Crusade of Scientists to Prevent Monsanto and Company from Patenting Strains of Cannabis

A few months ago, some media outlets published the news that Monsanto, the agricultural industry giant, had created and patented the first transgenic strain of marijuana. Some considered it to be great news given the company’s prestige and many ended up thinking that it would be a great help for activists throughout the world that are calling for legalisation, especially in the United States. It appears that the news was not true, however the rumours persist in the background, and there are people doing everything possible to ensure that something like that does not happen.

Now, scientists are working against the clock to map the complete DNA structure of cannabis in order to prevent large agricultural companies, such as the abovementioned one, from acquiring the exclusive patents of some strains.

One of the people involved in this arduous task is Mowgli Holmes. He is the scientific director of Phylos Bioscience, the supervisory company of the Cannabis Genome Project that aims to discover all possible information about the biological properties of cannabis. Holmes believes that creating a complete genetic map will make it possible for cannabis to be considered as belonging to the public domain, just like any other plant.

The aim is also to do everything possible to ensure that these types of companies do not have the exclusive selling rights to strains, especially now that legalisation is becoming a reality in many areas and the cannabis market is emerging. As such, they seek to ensure that nobody can use the plant to gain a foothold on the new market.

The question is not a trivial one, as this sector is expected to generate more than 13 billion dollars (11.6 billion euros) between now and 2020, thereby becoming one of the largest agricultural markets in the United States. Many are waiting for the plant to be legalised on a federal level in order to enter the market. Researchers will do everything possible to ensure that nobody takes advantage of a product that should belong to everyone.

Sources: 

High Times- Scientists Working to Prevent Monsanto from Monopolizing on Cannabis Strains, But Can They Stop It?

Wweek Oregon- Mowgli Holmes Wants to Map Weed DNA and "Piss Off Monsanto"