Canadian universities now growing marijuana on campus

The Canadian Press 30 November 2018

Eight academic institutions across Canada have obtained licences from Health Canada to cultivate cannabis for scientific purposes, allowing them to study the drug that was legalised for recreational use in October, writes Liam Casey for The Canadian Press.

Some received special licences a few months before legalisation and will be moving to licences with fewer restrictions in the future. The University of Guelph is one of them. Max Jones, an assistant professor in the department of agriculture, received cannabis plants several weeks ago after the institution was granted a licence in September. Jones said he plans to study the plant's genetics, optimisation of growing conditions and the creation of a gene bank to be used by both researchers and breeders.

Obtaining a cannabis cultivation licence is part of the university's shift into marijuana research, an extension of the institution’s long history in horticultural science. It plans to begin construction in 2019 on the Guelph Centre for Cannabis Research, where it hopes to grow pot plants to maturity for further study. “It’s an exciting time to be in the plant sciences because the cannabis industry's funding a lot of research that most industries wouldn't fund,” Jones said.
Full report on the CTV News site

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