Israel is the
“Start-Up Nation” but did you know that it is also the cannabis nation? While
legalized marijuana, whether for medical or recreational use is spreading in
the United States, the drug is now legal in 23 states, it is hindered by the
classification of cannabis as a class I narcotic by federal law. As a result,
research into the medical benefits by US companies runs into resistance from
the Drug Enforcement Agency and the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Israel
has no such restrictions and is now a world leader in innovation on the use of
cannabis for treatment of PTSD, MS, Colitis, Tourette’s syndrome, Alzheimer’s
disease and pediatric epilepsy among others.
While marijuana
conjures up images of Jeff Spicoli from “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” and
Cheech and Chong, the cannabis industry is spearheaded by chemists, doctors,
agronomists and geneticists. As far back as 1960’s Dr. Raphael Meshoulam a
medical chemist at the Hebrew University, isolated then separated Tetrahydrocannabinal
(THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD) the active ingredients of the cannabis plant. He
then proceeded to study its medicinal uses. He is at 85 years of age the
godfather of medical marijuana.
America’s
experiment with prohibition of alcohol was an admitted failure and
grandfathered in the rise of organized crime. Legal now, there are few
scientists or medical professionals that can point to many if any benefits of
alcohol use. The Center for Disease Control estimates that there are 88,000
deaths in the US every year related to alcohol but virtually none from pot.
With new delivery systems, vapor, edibles, pills, oils and creams the danger
from smoking cannabis is greatly reduced. The prohibition of cannabis is a
failure as well and it’s not just the successful ballot initiatives in 23
states that prove it.
The
discrimination against cannabis, despite its proven medical benefit dates back
to the early 1900’s when the Mexican Revolution brought immigrants to the US
with their untraditional use of cannabis as a smoking filler. Cannabis, a legal
over the counter substance at the time was widely used in pills, powders and
oils but was never smoked. The new Mexican arrivals used the Spanish name
marijuana for cannabis and Americans, fearful of too much Spanish influence,
used the new name to demonize the drug.
While tobacco
and alcohol remain legal, have little to no medical benefit and are proven to
cause illness and death, cannabis remains a class I narcotic. With America so
central to international commerce, the class I rating of cannabis make it
difficult for trading partners to liberalize their cannabis laws. American
tobacco companies can be responsible for millions of deaths around the world
but cannabis researchers from other countries cannot benefit from top-notch
laboratories and research centers here. The class I narcotic rating denies
researchers of the benefits of federal grants and other assistance that would
give thousands, perhaps millions of sufferers the advantages of cannabis
treatment.
In Israel, the
government has shown a stubborn resilience to funding research on the medical
benefits of cannabis and has been writing the rulebook on implementing its
legal use for medical purposes. Combined with a vocal minority seeking complete
legalization the protocols written in Israel for legal use of cannabis is
copied throughout the world. So the world is going to pot and once again,
Israel leads the way.
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