Marijuana will soon be legalized in Canada, and the U.S. government will soon follow suit as more states welcome marijuana. Marijuana as a crop is worth “more than $40 billion, making it the second most valuable crop in the United States after corn.”
Who would benefit most from legalized cannabis? Not governments, but the biotech industry. GQ, Amanda Chicago Lewis We are trying to find out who is behind the faceless, secretive companies fighting over a strict, all-encompassing utility patent on cannabis that gives them the monopoly power to sue anyone who tries to grow or sell cannabis without buying BI-approved seeds, as if that is an assault on our collective tranquility.
Holmes says a secretive company called Biotech Institute LLC has begun filing patents on cannabis plants. Three have already been approved, with several more pending in the U.S. and abroad. These aren’t limited patents on individual varieties like Sour Diesel. They’re utility patents, the strongest intellectual property protection available for crops. Utility patents are very strict and can subject just about anyone who comes into contact with the plant to licensing fees. This includes growers and retailers, as well as anyone looking to grow new varieties or conduct research. Even after paying royalties, you can’t use the seeds produced from the plants you cultivate. You can only buy more patented seeds.
“Utility patents are big. They’re scary,” Holmes said. “They could potentially shut down all of cannabis. They could potentially sue people for growing it in their backyard.”
Marijuana is an industry worth over $40 billion, making it the second most valuable crop in the U.S. after corn. And while it’s still prohibited by the federal government, it seems the people behind the biotech labs have been scheming secretly for the past few years to grab the balls of the nation’s marijuana farmers, distributors, and scientists, so that once the drug is legalized, all they have to do to recoup their payments is squeeze them.
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