![](\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Tikun-Lab-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
I\u2019m walking down the street in Florentin, an artsy corner of beachy south Tel Aviv, wearing a T-shirt that reads \u201cMishtelet Yisrael\u201d<\/i>\u00a0\u2014 or \u201cthe Israeli Plantation\u201d in Hebrew. A pot leaf is laid over the well-known logo for the Israeli police force,\u00a0Mishteret Yisrael<\/i>, just one letter different. Israel\u2019s pro-legalization political party Ale Yarok(\u201cGreen Leaf\u201d) designed the parody.<\/p>\n
A duo of street musicians notice my shirt and stop me to offer a few hits from their joint. They\u2019re drumming on upside-down trash cans and rapping. As we shoot the sh*t, we start chatting about weed and cannabis prohibition vis-\u00e0-vis Israel\u2019s pioneering advancements in the field of marijuana science.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0Knesset<\/a>, Israel\u2019s parliament, only recently passed a\u00a0tepid decriminalization policy<\/a>. This is notwithstanding the fact that 27 percent of the population has smoked cannabis in the past year. Meanwhile, 35,000 patients legally receive medical marijuana. To sign up with one of Israel\u2019s eight medical cannabis providers, patients must demonstrate they have tried a traditional treatment for a year and it has failed.<\/p>\n Activists complain about something of a \u201cgreenwashing\u201d syndrome, whereby the Israeli cannabis scene has clout abroad, but lags behind at home. This has created a somewhat paradoxical situation: Israeli cannabis companies are speeding ahead with technological and scientific research, while normal citizens such as my new street musician friends are left to smoke on the streets and hope the police don\u2019t arrive to break up the party.<\/p>\n A worker for Tikun Olam, which holds 40 percent of the market share of Israel\u2019s medical marijuana industry, trims cannabis.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In 1964, now 87-year-old scientist\u00a0Raphael Mechoulam<\/a>\u00a0became the first person to identify the THC molecule. This discovery was the first of many findings that would position Israel as the leader in medical marijuana. Today, the tech advancements of the \u201cStart-Up Nation\u201d and a fully legal approach to cannabis medicine have fostered great scientific achievement among Israeli scientists.<\/p>\n Saul Kaye, founder and CEO of the Israel-based cannabis tech incubator\u00a0iCan<\/a>, says that cannabis startups in Israel are positioned to significantly influence the direction of the global cannabis industry.<\/p>\n \u201cAll the young startups in Israel\u2019s cannabis space with brilliant pieces of technology will revolutionize what\u2019s happening,\u201d he said. \u201cThe broadest impact will be from those who solve a problem in the industry.\u201d<\/p>\n While cannabis marketing often positions the plant as a \u201clifestyle\u201d product, Kaye says that Israeli companies are focusing on bigger issues like how to transact cannabis, internationally transfer it and create products that are backed by clinical trials.<\/p>\n \u201cI think there\u2019s a shift in Israel to not just be another grow or another vertically integrated cannabis company with a brand,\u201d he says. \u201cA lot of the innovation in Israel is focusing on global opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n Some Israeli companies are changing the consumer experience of cannabis itself, developing rectal ingestion or dosed vaporization technologies, while others are innovating methods to sterilize the plant material before it gets tested for pesticides.<\/p>\n Cannabis brings together players from different fields, professions and ethnic backgrounds, he says, noting that everyone from the ultra-Orthodox to Arab Israelis have found room in the industry.<\/p>\n \u201cCannabis is one of those subjects that crosses all spectrums,\u201d he says. \u201cIt breaks social norms and allows us to collaborate in a new way. And, with more PhDs per capita in Israel than anywhere else, there are still more clinical trials [on cannabis] done here than any other country, across multiple indications.\u201d<\/p>\n Tikun Olam benefits from Israel\u2019s pro-medical marijuana research laws to develop strains around patients\u2019 particular needs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n According to Mechoulam, who is now a professor of medicinal chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israeli cannabis research began with an exploration of the plant\u2019s phytochemistry in the \u201960s. The research evolved into the realms of pharmacology, physiology and the endocannabinoid system, through which Mechoulam and his colleagues discovered anandamide, the endogenous \u201cbliss molecule\u201d in the \u201990s.<\/p>\n \u201cThe human body not only makes anandamide, but a hundred more related compounds,\u201d Mechoulam says, noting these compounds work against brain trauma, osteoporosis, addiction and several other ailments in animal models.<\/p>\n Nowadays, Mechoulam\u2019s team is\u00a0researching<\/a>\u00a0anandamide-like compounds that have anti-addictive properties. They\u2019re also looking at\u00a0CBD<\/a>\u00a0derivatives and synthesizing and testing them.<\/p>\n \u201cThese are compounds being developed by pharmaceutical companies [like GW Pharmaceuticals], so I expect that we shall have derivatives of cannabidiol on the market many years from now,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Another of Mechoulam\u2019s projects analyzes compounds like THCA or CBDA, the\u00a0acidic precursors<\/a>\u00a0to THC and CBD. Until recently, these compounds haven\u2019t been thoroughly investigated because they\u2019re not stable enough, Mechoulam says.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were able to stabilize CBDA and found it works on anxiety,\u201d he says. \u201cThese products seem to be as active as CBD, if not more, so chances are people will be looking at these compounds and trying to develop or work with these acids and derivatives of them.\u201d<\/p>\n So far, Mechoulam\u2019s lab has already published evidence that CBD acts on autoimmune diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, Type 1 diabetes, epilepsy and more. CBD even works on schizophrenia, he says, but still has not been practically applied to treating the disease.<\/p>\n \u201cSlowly, the cannabinoids will become a major group of therapeutic entities, probably in semi-synthetic form,\u201d Mechoulam says.<\/p>\n Ultimately, Mechoulam\u2019s research is made possible by the fact that, in Israel, cannabis scientists can benefit from a legal medical program that is supported by the government. In the United States, federal prohibition makes comparable research impossible.<\/p>\n \u201cThe lack of clinical work in the U.S. is really a shame,\u201d says Mechoulam.<\/p>\n Despite this, Mechoulam is able to receive grant money from the U.S. government\u2019s National Institute on Drug Abuse.<\/p>\n The beach in Tel Aviv, Israel\u2019s economic and technological capital. Photo Tel Aviv Jaffa<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The godfather of cannabis research, however, isn\u2019t the only scientist pushing the envelope. Dr. David Meiri, head of the Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Cannabinoid Research, grew his lab from a half-dozen to 45 people within a couple of years. The team is\u00a0currently researching<\/a>\u00a0more than 650 types of cannabis to learn how different compounds and strains can best be used to treat specific ailments, like epilepsy, Alzheimer\u2019s, autism, cancer, autoimmune disease and sleep disorders.<\/p>\n To understand how certain cannabis products affect certain conditions, Meiri\u2019s lab collects survey data from Israel\u2019s medical marijuana patients, who must register with a supplier that administers the medicine. They compare that data to samples from the medical marijuana companies.<\/p>\n \u201cThe result will help physicians in Israel treat the patient better,\u201d Meiri says. \u201cIf we find that one strain in Israel works best for autistic kids, we\u2019ll give this information to physicians that immediately can start to treat them with it.\u201d<\/p>\n While cannabis medicine is here to stay, Meiri says producers, physicians and patients still need to take a more serious approach to cannabis dosing, contraindications with other medications and consistency.<\/p>\n Fortunately, there are companies working on technology to address these issues. One Israeli company named\u00a0Indose<\/a>, for example, uses meter dosage technology to measure in real time the amount of THC or CBD a consumer inhales.<\/p>\n \u201cThey can choose to control their dose as they see fit or as their health provider recommends,\u201d explains Ari Freeman, Indose\u2019s co-founder and president. \u201cWe saw the potential in the cannabis market in Israel because there\u2019s a true medical cannabis scene, administered by doctors in hospitals, versus what I\u2019d call more of a quasi-medical wellness scene in California. We wanted to do something that was very exact.\u201d<\/p>\n Plants grow in Tikun Olam\u2019s Israeli facilities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The legitimacy of cannabis medicine isn\u2019t questioned in Israel as it is by American physicians, says Stephen Gardner, chief marketing officer for\u00a0Tikun Olam USA<\/a>, the American branch of the international cannabis brand that was founded in Israel before branching into Canada, Australia and the United States. Today, Tikun Olam holds 40 percent of the market share in Israel\u2019s medical cannabis industry.<\/p>\n \u201cThe stigma isn\u2019t there [in Israel] and therefore they\u2019re further advanced in that research,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Cannabis companies like Tikun Olam often take advantage of the legalized medical program in Israel to systematically develop strains or products around patients\u2019 particular needs.<\/p>\n \u201cWe go through a 700-question questionnaire and through our breeding program to alter and try to modify cannabinoids and terpenes, to dial them up or down,\u201d Gardner says. \u201cThis is quite unique because in the U.S., for years most growers were working toward breeding programs for higher yield, higher THC or bigger bud structure. But because [our cannabis] was always bred as medicine, our landrace plants truly are unique and we make sure we\u2019re maintaining a level of consistency.\u201d<\/p>\n Tikun Olam treats and conducts clinical research on various ailments, including epilepsy, cancer, pediatric diseases, fibromyalgia, Crohn\u2019s disease, colitis, IBS, autism and geriatric diseases.<\/p>\n Though cannabis exports abroad are far off for Israel \u2014 Donald Trump dissuaded Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from sanctioning such a thing last year \u2014 Israeli cannabis companies still collaborate with those abroad. For example, the California-based laboratory Steep Hill is working with the Israeli terpene company\u00a0Eybna<\/a>\u00a0on a new proprietary methodology called Delta to offer customized terpene batches to enhance cannabis oils. The technology analyzes a strain\u2019s terpenoid profile, then tailors a formulation to recreate that profile after the extraction process.<\/p>\n However, despite the country\u2019s medicinal achievements, cannabis patients and unlicensed pot smokers still demand more progress. According to\u00a0Cannabis Magazine<\/a>, Israel\u2019s primary source of marijuana news, patients have noticed a decline in quality, strain variety and service in recent years. There\u2019s also been a shortage in varieties that patients have been consuming for years, the magazine details. Why? Oren Lebovitch, the publisher of Cannabis Magazine and chairman of Ale Yarok, says it is because the head of the Israel Medical Cannabis Authority (IMCA) doesn\u2019t make science-based decisions.<\/p>\n Stephen Gardner, chief marketing officer for Tikun Olam USA, stands in one of Tikun Olam\u2019s grow facilities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Dr. Alan Flashman, a psychiatrist and former professor in Israel, says he fears the IMCA is undercutting the country\u2019s medical program so severely that pharmaceuticals \u2014 such as \u201ca derivative of cannabis that can be standardized and patented,\u201d he suggests \u2014 will replace medical marijuana.<\/p>\n \u201cI have suggested that under the influence of [anti-cannabis American billionaire] Sheldon Adelson, Prime Minister Netanyahu is committed to preventing legalization,\u201d Flashman\u00a0wrote<\/a>\u00a0in the Times of Israel. \u201cLegalization would, of course, give the pharmaceutical derivative little chance of success.\u201d<\/p>\n All the while, activists continue to push for full legalization. Under the new decriminalization policy, even those like my newfound friends on the Florentin street corner could still be subject to large fines or even criminal penalties for public consumption, especially if there\u2019s a prior record.<\/p>\n \u201cWe call it \u2018fake decriminalization,\u2019\u201d Lebovitch says. \u201cBut it\u2019s opened up a good chance for us: We\u2019ll use this change in law to file a lawsuit in high court, based on the human dignity and liberty law.\u201d<\/p>\n Laws that were amended after 1992 are subject to challenges like this, he explains, and since the Knesset recently amended its drug law, it\u2019s now vulnerable to such a challenge.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to open a campaign and fight it in the next few months,\u201d Lebovitch says, pointing to American states that decriminalized cannabis to support his arguments. \u201cHopefully, it will work.\u201d<\/p>\n TELL US<\/b>, how do you think Israel\u2019s recent policy changes on exporting medical cannabis will impact the pace of its domestic cannabis research?<\/p>\n Originally published in Issue 34 of Cannabis Now.\u00a0LEARN MORE<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n The post Israel: Beyond the Horizon of Unrestricted Cannabis Research<\/a> appeared first on Cannabis Now<\/a>.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m walking down the street in Florentin, an artsy corner of beachy south Tel Aviv, wearing a T-shirt that reads \u201cMishtelet Yisrael\u201d\u00a0\u2014 or \u201cthe Israeli Plantation\u201d in Hebrew. A pot leaf is laid over the well-known logo for the Israeli police force,\u00a0Mishteret Yisrael, just one letter different. Israel\u2019s pro-legalization politicalContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":304,"featured_media":32004,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4344,605,50,1589,136,6711,85,7023,133,6599,53,139,7024,420,1165,7025],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32003"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/304"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32003"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32003\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32005,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32003\/revisions\/32005"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32004"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Tikun-Lab.jpg\")
<\/p>\nBeyond Lifestyle: Tech Innovation & Global Opportunity<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Tel-Aviv-Grow.jpg\")
<\/p>\nGovernment-Backed Cannabis Research<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Tel-Aviv-Jaffa.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Tikun-Clones.jpg\")
<\/p>\nLegitimate Medicine & Legalization<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Stephen-Tikun.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n
\nRead More: Israel: Beyond the Horizon of Unrestricted Cannabis Research<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"