Space could be the final frontier for cannabis consumption

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Cannabis tourism might soon be out of this world

After years of teasing all those who said they were dying to book a place to travel to space, the time has finally come. Space travel is now a reality thanks to companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin. The idea of combining this great trend with cannabis tourism is starting to become a not so far-fetched idea. Although the main purpose of space travel is usually to understand the cosmos, the falling cost of putting travelers into orbit has started to make it a bit more recreational. And recreation and cannabis are two words that are increasingly coming together.

Former astronaut Chris Hadfield, who has flown on two space shuttle missions, now sits on the board of the biotech company BioHarvest. According to him, the increase in space tourists will result in increased interest and a corresponding demand for cannabis. “Once the population gets large enough, once you get to a stable enough situation, people are gonna want, you know, a drink,” he said. “People are gonna want some pot.”

Still, he made it clear that those working on the space station will not be able to enjoy that taste. He said that when there is an emergency, the space station is considered the fire department and the first line to the rescue.

Ilan Sobel, CEO of BioHarvest, has it clear that cannabis is not yet regulated for the international space station. However, he said that once the plant gets the green light at the federal level, the company’s process of growing cannabis compounds may present a breakthrough “from a biological science perspective” in a microgravity environment.

Sobel said space could even have the right environment and setting for medical-grade marijuana to be developed. “We see the potential ability for valuable minor cannabinoids to be grown at significantly higher quantities compared to [their] growth on earth,” he added.