Tobacco Company Switches Gears to Grow Hemp

Versatile in a variety of different ways, the hemp plant can be used to do everything from make food to the clothing, and now, it even acts a substitute to helping smokers kick their tobacco addiction. In light of studies that show that hemp can aid smoker’s wean themselves off of tobacco, one tobacco company has decided to begin to grow hemp instead.

A company called 22nd Century Group, based in New York and valued at $60 million, recently announced that it will be switching from tobacco to grow hemp instead. The company is previously known for genetically modifying over 50 different kinds of tobacco to be less addictive, through its partnership with the University of Virginia. According to Merry Jane, 22nd Century group’s tobacco contains 97 percent less nicotine than most other cigarette brands. While this achievement is to be commended, it still doesn’t make addiction-free tobacco. Luckily, the company has seen the light, and is switching gears towards the hemp industry.

There are many different cannabinoids in hemp, such as CBN, CBG, CBC and THCV; all of which offer unique medical benefits. However, in order to obtain a strong percentage of a single type of cannabinoid, hemp farmers are forced to use slow-going traditional breeding methods, and hope that those plants yield the percentage they seek. So, with ample experienced under its belt, 22nd Century Group and the University of Virginia aim to cultivate hemp plants through conventional breeding and a bit of genetic engineering in order to speed up the process.

Currently, the only roadblock to this plan is waiting for Virginia to catch up to the rest of the hemp growing industry. “If laws change in Virginia from simply research to allowing production and sales, then we would target [commercial production] in the next couple of years or sooner,” Lead Researcher, Michael Timko, told Merry Jane. “We don’t want to provide growers with material that would not be productive or useful.”

This unique business partnership will be one of the first to obtain hemp plant patents for specified cannabinoid percentages.