Legal cannabis is turning over some serious profit and if plans to test cannabis in Space go well, profits could be catapulted into another dimension.

Some 250 miles above Planet Earth is the infamous NASA International Space Station (ISS). Inside this space station, the cannabis plant will analyzed by a team of scientists from a bioengineering company called Space Tango. The team will assess how cannabis responds to novel environs, such as low-gravity spaceflight settings.

Space Tango, which conducts microgravity research and manufacturing, will employ its innovative CubeLab modules inside NASA’s ISS to figure out how to develop hemp strains in atmospheres devoid of gravitational pressures.

“When we send plants to the International Space Station, we eliminate one core, constant force, to which plants are well-adapted — gravity,” explained Dr. Joe Chappell, a member of the Space Tango Science Advisory Team, who is a specialist in drug development and design and has assisted with previous ISS experiments. “When plants are ‘stressed,’ they pull from a genetic reservoir to produce compounds that allow them to adapt and survive.”

Space Tango’s strategy for cannabis in space will involve the use of hemp plants

CBD is the cannabinoid likely to be used for the development of cannabis in space. This is the non-psychoactive cousin of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which is responsible for inducing a “high” in consumers. The CBD cannabinoid is present in both cannabis and hemp plants, the latter of which Space Tango will focus on to carry out tests on cannabis in space.

The reason being is down to the fact that hemp plants contain no more than 0.3 percent THC. Moreover, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) recently pushed to legalize the hemp plant at the federal level.

Contained in the Farm Bill is the Hemp Farming Act of 2018. If it is passed this year, cannabis’ Schedule 1 classification could be reconsidered, something that would essentially act as a catalyst for pharmaceutical specialists to conduct research and development on the plant’s therapeutic properties.

Space Tango joins forces with an ag-tech company in Kentucky called Atalo Holdings. Certified hemp seed will be provided by Atalo for the undertaking, in the hopes of producing hemp strains that can effectively thrive in zero-gravity spaces. Also assisting the scientists in their quest to master the art of creating cannabis in space is online retailer Anavii Market. The joint venture is anticipated to kick off in February of next year.

NASA has cultivated cannabis in space before

This isn’t the first time that the topic of “cannabis in space” has been brought up in the same sentence as NASA. Back in 2014, a plant growth module nicknamed “Veggie” was activated “to provide the crew with a palatable, nutritious, and safe source of fresh food and a tool to support relaxation and recreation,” according to NASA.

“Veggie is also used for fundamental space biology experiments such as the series Advanced Plant Experiments and educational space biology activities.”

Space Tango’s research on cannabis in space may contribute to medicine

Scientists and medical professionals are excited at the prospect of using Space Tango’s fully automated lab systems. The CubeLabs will operate independently as they encircle Planet Earth. Images can be downloaded by Space Tango’s team, who will also be able to access real-time data from the weed-producing lab stations.

Since Space Tango boasts such a positive track record of carrying out agricultural investigations in space, there is a good chance that the company’s looming venture will generate much-needed data pertaining to cannabis seed germination and exposure.

“Understanding how plants react in an environment where the traditional stress of gravity is removed can provide new insights into how adaptations come about and how researchers might take advantage of such changes for the discovery of new characteristics, traits, biomedical applications, and efficacy,” explained Chappell.

If all goes to plan, Space Tango can successfully demonstrate cannabis’ true medical potential and, hopefully, encourage the emergence of cannabis in mainstream markets.