Hi All
thanks to a co-researcher in the field of Cannabis I was made aware of this new article. Considering the heritage of the Widow and alot of my personal work in the field of selective breeding, it seems that Sativas will soon be classified differently due to their differing Cannabinoids/Terpines. With over 600 different Cannabinoids that are found on the plant, science has the ability to verify about 30, and technology existing can measure only 2/3 of those.
As usual fear and greed caused prohibition on Cannabis before it could be sure of anything except what was visual and that was a bunch of hippies preaching peace and love. But time will reveal the truths that are invisible to the eye...and the reason we are already gathered together in forums such as this one discussing...Cannabis is the future.
Hope you realize the implications this article will bring in time...I think it will be GREAT. Happy reading....all the best Shantibaba
Rasta lends its name to a third type of cannabis
http://www.newscientist.com/article...=mg18725175.200
AS POLICE and dope smokers know, there are two types of cannabis. Cannabis sativa sativa is mainly used to make hemp, while the indica subspecies is prized for its tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content, which produces the "high". But now Australian researchers have discovered a third type of cannabis, called rasta.
Simon Gilmore of the Canberra Institute of Technology catagorised 196 sample plants according to the DNA in their mitochondria and chloroplasts. The samples included plants grown for drugs and hemp as well as wild varieties from Europe, Asia, Africa, Mexico and Jamaica.
The results showed three distinct "races" of cannabis. In central Asia the THC-rich indica predominated, while in western Europe sativa was more common. In India, south-east Asia, Africa, Mexico and Jamaica the rasta variant predominated. It looks similar to the sativa subspecies, but generally contains higher levels of THC.
Since the study was of DNA rather than a formal taxonomic study, Cannabis sativa rasta is not yet an official new subspecies: the name was the result of a competition in Gilmore's lab. Their work is expected to appear in the journal Forensic Science International later this year.
From issue 2517 of New Scientist magazine, 20 September 2005, page 12
Shantibaba wrote this...