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Consumers can trust what varieties of wine taste like regardless of the store they buy it from, and they could soon have similar expectations for strains of marijuana, say researchers at the University of British Columbia.

Prof. Jorg Bohlmann and a team of researchers have found 30 genes within the cannabis genome that determine the aroma and flavour of the plant.

The findings, published in the journal Plos One, are the first step toward creating flavour standards that can be replicated.

Bohlmann said with the legalization of marijuana on the horizon, there is a real need for standardization of the product when it comes to flavours and the strength of psychoactive compounds.

Right now, he said, although names of strains can somewhat reflect the flavour, consumers can't be sure what they're getting.

"This is largely because much of the cannabis industry has been in an illegal space," said Bohlmann, a professor of forest science and botany. "People have been growing their own different strains wherever, garden sheds or basements."

He said standards could be created that follow the wine industry, where the types of grapes and effects of climate and terrain on the crop's flavour produce specific and replicable varieties of wine.