How Israel became the world leader in medical marijuana

Added on 19 January 2024

How did Israel become a hub for medical cannabis research?

Israel's dominance in the medical cannabis sector can be traced back to the early 1960s and the work of Professor Raphael Mechoulam, an Israeli chemist. Mechoulam is credited with "opening the field of cannabis science" after he helped identify "the structure and function of the key compounds of cannabis," The New York Times wrote.

His "groundbreaking" studies of cannabis began before marijuana and other drugs exploded in popularity around the world, "bringing seismic changes to popular culture while also kicking off decades-long battles about health effects and enforcement," the Times noted. His early discoveries helped earn him the title "the father of cannabis research." His fascination with drugs "was not cultural but scientific," the outlet added, "driven by a fascination with the chemical structures of plants and other natural products." In March 2023, he died at age 92 at his home in Jerusalem.

Mechoulam's research is credited with codiscovering the endocannabinoid system, "the largest receptor system in the human body," US News explained. He also found that the human brain makes its own cannabinoids, "compounds that stimulate the body's receptor system." Experts believe these compounds could help alleviate illnesses like "schizophrenia, diabetes, cancer and multiple sclerosis, to name a few," the outlet added, "The revelation of this endogenous cannabinoid system essentially legitimized the study of a substance previously on the margins of scientific research."