USDA Approves Genetically Modified Hemp That Produces No THC Or CBD
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) says a genetically modified version of hemp produced by researchers in Wisconsin “may be safely grown and bred in the United States” and is “unlikely to pose an increased plant pest risk compared to other cultivated plants.”
The hemp variety, dubbed “Badger G,” does not produce THC or CBD but is designed to have higher levels of the cannabinoid CBG. It’s at least the second type of genetically modified hemp to get the OK from APHIS after another modified plant, which produces lower levels of THC and CBC, was approved in October.
The genetically modified hemp variety was developed by the University of Wisconsin’s Crop Innovation Center. In its application for a USDA regulatory status review, the university said Badger G “is absent of CBD/CBDA and THC/THCA through a gene editing knockout of the endogenous CBDAS gene.”
Eliminating that gene, says the application from senior scientist Michael Petersen, “will provide U.S. growers with agronomic and compliance benefits, including higher levels of the cannabinoid CBG/CBGA and elimination of THC/THCA.”
“Approximately 25% of the hemp crop in the US is discarded due to THC/THCA levels beyond the 0.3% threshold set forth in the 2018 Farm Bill,” it continues. “Our new line will allow farmers to be in full compliance with these regulations.”
USDA has been attempting to work more closely with hemp growers and breeders since the crop was legalized through the 2018 Farm Bill. Last year, the department released updated guidance on how to identify, describe and evaluate different varieties of the plant.
Amid state-level legalization of marijuana and the federal government’s legalization of low-THC hemp and its derivative products, interest in research around hemp industry and commerce has ballooned in recent years.
Last month new federally funded research into how to distinguish hemp and marijuana in order to assist crime labs identified two new methods for differentiating the two forms of cannabis.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) also put out a solicitation in 2022, seeking portable marijuana analyzers to quickly identify cannabinoid profiles and help distinguish between marijuana and hemp.
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