The controlled cultivation of Cannabis sativa at VitaPlant

Cannabis sativa belongs -behind alcohol- to the world's most commonly used drugs. On the other hand positive effects in the therapeutic use of cannabis preparations were recorded.

The law in Switzerland bans the cultivation and consumption as well as the trade of cannabis with a total content of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) of over 1%. Cannabis with THC levels above this level are considered as narcotics and the use is subject to a specific authorization requirement.

VitaPlant has an operating license from the canton of Thurgau and is required to apply for a special exemption from the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (BAG) for every third party production. Research on cannabis has a long tradition at VitaPlant and several clones have been developed with specific active ingredients over the years. A main focus in the development of Cannabis at VitaPlant is the two cannabinoids: Δ9-THC (Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol).

Currently, VitaPlant is working on several projects for Swiss companies with respect to the production of cannabis in various grades. It is primarily concerned with the composition of the cannabinoids and the ratio of THC and CBD, but also with various kinds of harvesting. Two different forms of harvesting are used in the preparation of the drug: flowering branches (i.e. herba) or as pure flower (flos) which has higher content of active compound (THC or CBD) in comparison to the harvest of flowering branches. In all cases the female flower is the main product. Depending on the harvested part the amount of THC and CBD differs considerably. However, the compounds of THC and THC-A or CBD and CBD-A are not stable. The time of harvesting and the maturity of flowers as well as the drying and processing of the raw material have an effect on the amount of both compounds.