As a person who majors in biochemistry and has done genetic engineering on bacteria in the lab, I feel that it should NEVER be applied to any thing that we consume. Not only is there not enough information on how modifying the genes of an organism that is introduced into the wild could have harmful effects on the environment. There is all ready signs of how genetic engineering of certain types of plants such as corn have actually contributed to the reduction of different varieties of corn. I rather the THC content of weed be determined by breeders NOT by scientist. You plant a seed that has been genetically engineered into the wild, some of the seeds will produce pollen that will travel around a certain region. Pollen can latch onto certain animals and travel hundreds if not thousands of miles. The pollen with the untested genes are then introduced to another line of genetics and could destroy them. Genetically modified plants are usually more resistant and can take over other genetic lines. It happens with corn all of the time. You might have a high THC content, but you will lose the other things such as taste and would have less variation in highs. We also do not know how genetically engineered weed will affect our body when consumed. DNA is extremely complicated, we do not know what will happen when one gene is modified. It might produce a certain affect such as bigger yields, but it also might contribute the plant making differnent compounds that could be high carcinogenic. Changing one thing in DNA can contribute to multiple changes things in the plant, you might not even end up with pot at the end of the day. You might just create tobacco with THC, have fun smoking that. Have you had genetically engineered food, it taste like crap. Nature has done a wonderful job creating life, lets let it do its thing.

Many people also do not understand how genetic engineering is done. Basically you take a certain gene put it into a virus, since viruses are able to modify DNA, take that gene/virus insert it into the foreign DNA, not all the DNA will contain the new gene will contain it. So you kill all of the DNA that does not have the new gene with drugs. I know this is not very detailed but I do not feel like really explaining the process. In short genetic engineering can lead to certain viruses becoming resistant to drugs. Genetic engineering needs at least 50 more years before it should have used on the ridiculous industrial level it is now. Every one should go on Hulu and watch 'The Future of Food', it will blow your mind.

Instead we could use the tools to look at what genes contribute to certain aspects, taste, THC %, etc... so we can no what plants would be best to breed to get the results that we want. Without the guessing game of what male should be breed with what female. You could pick males and females to breeding because their DNA contained the code of blueberry taste, high yield, etc... I would love to work in such a industry, good thing I already have the skills