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Scientists report that they’ve identified 33 “significant markers” in the cannabis genome that “significantly influence cannabinoid production”—a finding they say promises to drive the development of new plant varieties with specific cannabinoid profiles.
The new article, published last month in the journal The Plant Genome, says the results “offer valuable guidance for Cannabis breeding programs, enabling the use of precise genetic markers to select and refine promising Cannabis varieties.”
“This approach promises to speed up the breeding process, reduce costs significantly compared to traditional methods, and ensure that the resulting Cannabis varieties are optimized for specific medical and recreational needs,” authors wrote, calling the study “a significant stride toward fully integrating Cannabis into modern agricultural practices and genetic research, paving the way for future innovations.”
The analysis involved use of “a high-density genotyping approach” looking at thousands of molecular markers across the genome of 174 cannabis specimens in Canada, each with known levels of cannabinoids such as THCA, CBDA and CBN.
“Using suitable statistical methods,” the team said, “we identified 33 molecular markers associated with 11 cannabinoid traits, most of them having a high impact on the phenotype.”
Among the findings were what the paper calls a “massive” set of genes on one plant chromosome that involved about 60 megabases (Mb) and was associated specifically with THC-dominant cannabis strains.
Authors—from Université Laval in Québec, Canada—said the research represents a shift away from years of cannabis prohibition that “have impeded the establishment of genetic resource collections and the development of advanced breeding practices, thus limiting both the genetic improvement and the understanding of Cannabis traits.”
“These molecular markers will be highly valuable in breeding programs aiming to create new Cannabis variety with enhanced and specific cannabinoid profiles tailored for medical and recreational uses.”
The markers uncovered in the new study “will constitute an essential tool in breeding programs,” the report says, and “promise to accelerate the selection process for promising accessions, potential crossing parents, while significantly reducing costs associated with labor-intensive phenotype-based selection methods.”
The new findings come on the heels of a recent announcement by researchers in South Korea that they successfully identified a new cannabinoid—cannabielsoxa—as well as a number of other compounds “reported for the first time from the flowers of C. sativa.”
Published in the journal Pharmaceuticals, that paper says researchers used chromatographic techniques to isolate the compounds. They also examined their molecular structures and used a metabolic testing method to assess their toxicity to certain cancer cells.
“This study successfully isolated a new cannabinoid and six known cannabinoid compounds, along with a new chlorin-type compound and three additional chlorine-type compounds,” the study said, “which were reported for the first time from the flowers of C. sativa.”
The new cannbinoid, cannabielsoxa, was not among the compounds that researchers identified as potentially toxic to neuroblastoma cells, however.
Other research, published by the American Chemical Society in 2023, identified “previously undiscovered cannabis compounds” that challenged conventional wisdom of what really gives cannabis varieties their unique olfactory profiles.
While research into marijuana has exploded in recent years as the result of more jurisdictions legalizing the drug for medical and adult use, it’s unclear how the Trump administration’s priorities will impact that trend.
For example, under the new administration, “marijuana” is also now one of nearly two dozen “controversial or high-profile topics” that staff and researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) are required to clear with higher-ups before writing about.
A recently leaked agency memo put marijuana and opioids on a list along with vaccines, COVID-19, fluoride, measles, abortion, autism, diversity and gender ideology and other issues that are believed to be personal priorities of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and President Trump.
NCI is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which itself is part of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Prior to publishing anything on the specified topics, NCI staff are required to send the materials to an agency clearance team, the memo said..
“Depending on the nature of the information, additional review and clearance by the NCI director, deputy directors, NIH, and HHS may be required,” it advised staff. “In some cases, the material will not need further review, but the NCI Clearance Team will share it with NCI leadership, NIH, and/or HHS for their awareness.”
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Ben Adlin, a senior editor at Marijuana Moment, has been covering cannabis and other drug policy issues professionally since 2011, specializing in politics, state legislation, litigation, science and health. He was previously the senior news editor at Leafly, where he co-led news coverage and co-hosted a critically acclaimed weekly podcast; an associate editor at The Los Angeles Daily Journal, where he covered federal courts and municipal law; and a Coro Fellow in Public Affairs. He’s a graduate of Occidental College in Los Angeles and currently lives in Washington State.
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