Genetically Modified Marijuana

GMO's, genetically modified organisms. Using advanced techniques, scientists are now able to modify the very DNA of a living creature by inserting segments of unsigned 'code' into the organism's genetic structure. A classic example of this, would be "NK903", a variety of sweet corn which has been imbued with a gene from Bacillus thuringiensis, a common soil bacteria. This gene allows the corn to produce its own neurotoxin which, when eaten by a pest, acts as a pesticide, killing the creature and thus preventing reproduction and further harm. GMO's are found everywhere, from your morning coffee, to your breakfast, to your beer, to your cigarettes. However, one area which has yet to see extensive study, is in the genetic modification of marijuana.

Does the prospect of GMO weed scare you? Would you grow or consume GMO weed? Many, including myself, see weed as something much more special than a simple grain of rice or ear of corn- a true blessing from God, Jah if you will, something to be honored and respected. To me, personally, screwing with this perfect creation seems to be in direct violation of so many things that growers stand for. Yet, at the same time, I'm not immune to science, and I do recognize that there is vast potential in this field... I'm just not sure if I want any of it in relation to weed. After all, can you really fix perfection?

What are your thoughts on this? I'd love to know. Moreover, if you have any extra information you can add to the subject, this would be fantastic. To my knowledge there is currently no genetically manipulated weed out there, yet (I'm not incuding using chemicals to double chromosomes or anything like that, I'm talking using genes from other creatures here). But, this will undoubtedly change.

I think it has its time and place.

GMO could be great for some medical applications for example.

Would I use it? If when the time comes the GMO weed seems reasonable, possibly.

I don't think we need pest/fungi resistant GMO weed, just better growers.

But as more medical research is done on the CBD's present in the buds in very low quantities, I would maybe appreciate the GMO high obscure cannabanoid strains. Flower has generally been better medicine than synthetic versions of cannabanoids, so I imagine bringing out different profiles could be a "step in the right direction."

I think it maybe has its place, maybe doesnt; time will tell

Correct me if I am wrong but aren't pretty much all strains genetically modified as fuck already? I mean most dogs are Gmos too- perfection has been fucked with time and again... Is genetic diversity really that bad a thing?

Richard Drysift said:

Is genetic diversity really that bad a thing?

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If its Monsanto, yes.

Richard Drysift said:

Correct me if I am wrong but aren't pretty much all strains genetically modified as fuck already? I mean most dogs are Gmos too- perfection has been fucked with time and again... Is genetic diversity really that bad a thing?

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There's a strong difference between genetic engineering and selective breeding. Dogs are the product of selective breeding. The dog with the highest number of desirable traits from a litter is selected and allowed to breed, while the others are not. Thus, that creature's genetics are passed on, and those traits become stronger and more pronounced in future generations. Essentially, selective breeding is selective evolution. You aren't changing an animal's DNA, you're simply choosing an animal with the best traits over and over. It's basically survival of the fittest, and it doesn't get any more natural than that.

Genetic engineering, on the other hand, is entirely different. GMO's are "Transgenic" which means they incorporate the DNA of multiple creatures. Literally, a gene from one animal is inserted into the embryo of another, and thus, a chimera is created. GM technology allows for things such as glow-in-the-dark cats, pink pineapples, you name it. This could never happen through selective breeding.

This might seem like a good thing in a way, but there are problems. As you mentioned with genetic diversity, GMO's actually reduce diversity. In nature, each offspring is slightly genetically different, and will have different traits, advantages, and disadvantages that will help ensure success. For example, if one plant is immune to a particular disease through a mutation, and another does not have this immunity gene, the first plant will live and pro-create, whereas the plant without the mutation will die and not produce offspring. Therefore, this randomization of genes allows creatures to adapt extremely well to their environments by promoting the strongest traits and allowing for new ones to be introduced with each successive generation. However, genetically engineered creatures do not share this quality. If you take two seeds from one batch of genetically modified plants, and have them genetically tested, they'll be identical. These plants have genes suited ONLY for a particular growing environment. If they are grown outside of that environment, they will perish quickly, because they are not adapted and have no randomization in their genes.

Outside of the reduction in diversity, there are other issues. The corporate monopoly factor is a big issue- you have to think, who has the money to do this kind of stuff? Giant pharmaceutical corporations, who have a history of not caring about your well being. So, they create GM food crops that are tolerant of pesticides, in hopes of gaining greater yields and producing chemicals on a larger and cheaper scale- all at the expense of your health and the health of the planet. There's also the consideration that, by messing with genes, we can effect other, unrelated genes indirectly, possibly creating new allergens or undigestible proteins. And of course, the reality that these creatures escape and interbreed with native population, passing on inferior, non-adapted genes... Those from unrelated animals, no less...
This simple reply has gotten quite lengthy, but you got me into scientist mode

In short, I don't think the concept of GMO's is wrong in and of itself. If we created the right safety protocols to prevent them from escaping their confines, and weren't using them in the production of pesticidal food crops, I wouldn't have such an issue. However, you must consider not only the creature itself, but the reason it exists, and why. Companies like Monsanto are simply attempting to turn a profit and grow as big as possible, and before you know it, the free and holy weed plant will become another victim and property of the biotech field. It's a brave new world...

World of Seeds been doing it for years... Check Afghan Kush Special and NY Diesel Special...

brick20 said:

World of Seeds been doing it for years... Check Afghan Kush Special and NY Diesel Special...

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Source? I've never heard this. I highly doubt any seed bank has the funds or resources for the equipment and space necessary to actually genetically modify a plant, but who knows. Again, I'm not talking about trying to induce polyploidy with colchicine or anything like that, I'm talking true genetic modification, like putting a spider gene in a pot plant.

There must be some GMO happening, from the past . or how did we make auto flower?

BOB4TUNA said:

There must be some GMO happening, from the past . or how did we make auto flower?

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By crossbreeding Dope with hemp. Then loads of backcrossing to lock down its flowering trait. But maintain Marijuana's THC production.
Has nothing to do with genetic modification.

MonkeyGrinder said:

By crossbreeding Dope with hemp. Then loads of backcrossing to lock down its flowering trait. But maintain Marijuana's THC production.
Has nothing to do with genetic modification.

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Indeed. It never ceases to amaze me what we can accomplish with age-old techniques. Isolating the auto-flowering trait while still maintaining quality bud had to have been a very long and arduous process.

It all depends on what the GMO'd cannabis is made to do. GMO's can be done right. Causing a plant to produce its own pesticide/neurotoxin that could harm humans or cause smoking to be unpleasant is never good. But if you were to genetically modify cannabis to produce more resin somehow, without causing the production of any other unnatural biproducts unknown to cannabis than youd probably be fine. It would be best to use those plants more for extractions that are heavily purified. Just to be sure nothing was mutated into producing something unpleasant.


The crazy thing about GMO's like the soy beans is theyre just modified to resist the herbicide. That in itself is not harmful. But when farmers dump who knows how many gallons of the herbicide on the plants over their life it saturates everything with those chemicals which are no good for anyone. On top of the lawsuits caused by the plants being resistant to herbicides and spreading into other farmers plots.

Im not for GMOs from the health/profit side. Because they can be done right. Like the GMO plants that are made to grow in climates they arent native to, or to grow with significantly less water than is normally necessary so places like CA can continue to grow so many fruits/veggies.

In my belief this is more of a sped up selective breeding phase. Instead of growing fields of plants and seeing which ones dont die when watered less they can attempt to tweak things to cause it to need/use less water.

Just my 2 cents.

Found this at Herbies seed shop... World of Seeds Afghan Kush Special