Spanish researchers develop a THC-free hemp variety with high CBG content

A Valencian company, in partnership with a team of agricultural researchers from the Polytechnic University of Valencia, has developed a variety of cannabis that is THC-free but has a high concentration of CBG – a cannabinoid that is normally present in the plant in trace amounts but that is said to have medicinal properties. This discovery would both circumvent the illegality of cannabis—which is based on the presence of THC—and promote research on CBG.

The Science of CBG

CBG is the precursor to all cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant; it is the «mother cell of cannabis.» As the plant’s biological process unfolds, CBG is converted into THC, CBD, and other lesser-known cannabinoids. This is why, by the time the plant matures, only trace amounts of CBG remain (<1%).

The challenge facing the research team led by Salvador Soler, with funding from the company Hemp Trading, was to develop a variety that «blocks certain steps in the cannabinoid biosynthesis pathway, thereby preventing the formation of THC and increasing the accumulation of CBG.».

This isn't the first time a study being conducted by Salvador Soler and his team on the genetic structure of cannabis. Since they could not work directly with the cannabis plant, they first studied the cannabis DNA derived from seeds (which do not contain THC). Interested in these studies, the company Hemp Trading commissioned another study to examine the possibility of developing THC-free varieties. This time, the University obtained approval from the Spanish Medicines Agency a permit to work with the plant. That is how this new variety came to be.

«Thanks to this development, we are able to produce completely legal plants with CBG levels exceeding 15%, whereas the typical range is 0.1% to 0.5%,» explains Ernesto Llosá, the company’s CEO Hemp Trading. What's more, compared to the hemp plants used to produce CBD, these contain no THC residues.

What's the point?

Some studies suggest that CBG may have therapeutic properties similar to those of CBD. «Many academic studies have shown that CBG has anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, antirheumatic, and palliative properties,» says Salvador Soler in a statement reported by El Mundo. Despite promising preliminary results, research on CBG has stalled.

The issue: CBG production remains challenging because it requires a large amount of plant material, given the low CBG content of known cannabis strains. That is why this new strain is a minor revolution: «Thanks to this development, CBG can be produced on a massive scale, paving the way for legal, large-scale production with the goal of conducting tests to evaluate its medicinal properties,» explains Ernesto Llosá.

The company Hemp Trading informs us that it has filed an application to register this variety in the European catalog and has begun commercial production. The extracted CBG may eventually be used in the pharmaceutical industry as well as in the wellness industry, just as CBD is. Since the plant contains no THC, products derived from this variety will not be subject to the controversy surrounding the 0.2% THC threshold: The French government believes that that the derivatives must not contain any traces of THC.

Salvador Soler is cautious but confident. When asked, «Will CBG be available in pharmacies soon?» he replies, «I think there’s a lot of economic and commercial interest, but there’s still a long way to go. It will need to be tested on patients, and to do that, we need to obtain the necessary protocols and licenses. It’s a regulated process. However, it’s possible that in the near future—within about three to five years—we’ll be able to bring it to the pharmaceutical sector.».