Cannabis 2.0: Engineering the Super-Weed

Written By Alex Koyfman

Posted December 24, 2015

Okay, so you might be getting a bit tired of hearing all the talk about cannabis decriminalization and legalization that’s been going around lately.

Yes, most of us think it’s a good thing, with polls showing that popular support for legalization has been solid since 2012 and is still growing.

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Yes, the jurisdictions that have done it have already seen substantial tax benefits from the commerce it generates.

And yes, the stuff is far less harmful than booze and cigarettes, while somehow remaining technically less legal than methamphetamine and cocaine (based on the maximum fines and prison times a felony possession conviction will carry, as well as the nebulous factors of “illegality” and “potential danger” in the eyes of the federal government).

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Less common are the facts of just how big of an economic impact it has on the U.S. as a whole — close to $100 billion per year, when considering what the legal market would be worth, combined with the resources expended on the arrest, trial, and incarceration of marijuana-related offenses across all 50 states.

But I’m not here to talk about all that.

Doesn’t Take an Oracle to See This One

The cannabis market is here to stay, and there’s nothing that any of us are going to do about it.

Within 10 years — and most likely within the next presidential term — you’re going to see cannabis change and advance a wide spectrum of industries, including but not limited to pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and even materials and manufacture.

The reason I know this is because the legislation has been the only thing holding it back.

Cannabis, aside from being the notorious or (depending on who you ask) beloved recreational drug, is one of the world’s most versatile natural materials.

Easier to grow than cotton for clothing and far less taxing on the environment than trees for paper, it’s a wonder substance — even when it doesn’t come anywhere near the human bloodstream.

But with legislation finally loosening up on this plant, research is ramping up like nothing we’ve seen in recent history.

There are a growing number of mid- to large-sized pharma brands out there already piling tons of money into learning more about cannabis and its most famous active ingredient, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

Among them are the $2 billion Insys Therapeutics (NASDAQ: INSY) and $1.5 billion GW Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: GWPH).

And while that bodes very well for the future of cannabis-derived products, the truly prospective corner of this market lies elsewhere.

Some Study… Others Create

Botanical gene manipulation isn’t a new thing at all.

In fact, botanists have been achieving what is essentially organic gene “splicing” since the first time somebody grafted the branch of one plant to the living stalk of another — creating a “graft-chimera.”

However, now that we’re operating on a molecular level and able to manipulate specific genes to create specific effects, the study and industry of cannabis is about to reach a whole new level.

Today, companies are figuring out ways to optimize, increase, maximize, and even completely remove the THC component from cannabis.

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Meaning that while that famous buzz is still on the minds of many research programs, the pursuit of legitimately medicinal applications is just as strong.

Aside from THC, there are more than 80 other compounds within the plant — all of which have potential for pharmacological value.

There is potential for treating neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s; there is potential for addiction-free, withdrawal-free pain suppression therapies; and there is a spectrum of other avenues where this incredibly complex family of molecules has proven to have therapeutic power.

But like I said, the key is in studying all of the 80-plus cannabinoid compounds to see which can be used for what.

Surprisingly, that level of research isn’t being carried out at all the brand names that come to mind when you hear the term Big Pharma.

They’ve Been Leading the Pack for Years

It is, however, becoming a major focus of a company that has already earned a name as a pioneer and global leader in botanical genetic engineering of another smokable substance: tobacco.

This company, although still small, already holds more than 200 patents pertaining to the genetic manipulation of tobacco, and it has been able to vary factors like nicotine concentrations to an incredible degree of precision and range.

It’s been so good at varying the nature of its proprietary tobaccos that it recently received the federal government’s permission to label its cigarettes “reduced risk” — a first for any company in the tobacco industry.

It’s also created a cigarette that has already proven to be an effective smoking cessation aid — the most effective ever, in fact.

Just think… a cigarette that helps smokers quit smoking.

If a company can do this with tobacco, just think what it might be able to do with cannabis and its infinitely greater spectrum of potential uses.

Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s already doing it.

This company, led up by a former Big Tobacco head, is in the process of expanding its research and development focus to cannabis — in anticipation of a vastly greater market for newly legalized products in the coming years.

It could be one of the best longer-term investment stories I’ve seen emerge from this frantic rush to fill a vacuum worth more than $300 billion a year worldwide.

I’ve been studying this company for months, and just this week, I released an in-depth presentation on just what sort of product it has and what it could mean on a global scale.

With the tax-selling season now at its peak, this company, which has the power to change not one but two industries, still trades for a bargain.

Check out my presentation and learn the rest of the story before it’s too late.

Fortune favors the bold,

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Alex Koyfman

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His flagship service, Microcap Insider, provides market-beating insights into some of the fastest moving, highest profit-potential companies available for public trading on the U.S. and Canadian exchanges. With more than 5 years of track record to back it up, Microcap Insider is the choice for the growth-minded investor. Alex contributes his thoughts and insights regularly to Energy and Capital. To learn more about Alex, click here.

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