Singapore, home to strict drug laws, looks to develop synthetic marijuana compounds
Singapore is funding research on medical treatments containing synthetically-derived compounds of the marijuana plant
By Nyshka Chandran
Singapore, known for some of the world’s most stringent drug laws, aims to develop medical treatments containing synthetic elements of the cannabis, or marijuana, plant.
The government-run National Research Foundation, a body in charge of national research and development, launched a programme earlier this year to unlock the therapeutic potential of cannabinoids — chemical compounds of the cannabis plant. It’s part of the organisation’s broader US$25 million initiative to promote the biotech industry in the Southeast Asian nation.
The programme does not focus on the plant’s psychoactive compound — or THC — that’s responsible for marijuana’s psychological effects. Cannabis plants contain more than a hundred other cannabinoids, including cannabidiol, or CBD, which isn’t thought to get people high.
“Research into cannabinoids complements and leverages Singapore’s strengths in biomedical research, and is a niche area that Singapore can compete globally in,” a National Research Foundation spokesperson told CNBC.
Projects funded by the foundation will identify genes to create synthetic cannabinoids so researchers don’t need to grow the cannabis plant.