Israel educates its Asian neighbors about medical cannabis

Thailand legalized medical cannabis for the new year. Find out more about the first industry of its kind in Thailand, the government, which will closely control production and distribution, sent a delegation of 20 officials to observe the Israeli medical cannabis industry. The latter is gradually emerging as the undisputed benchmark in terms of medical cannabis.

The delegation

The delegation included three Directors General from the Thai Ministry of Health and the entire management team of the government pharmaceutical organization. This organization is responsible for growing, processing and marketing medical cannabis in state-owned pharmacies at a subsidized price.

The visit to Israel is an initiative of the Israeli Economic Attaché in Bangkok in collaboration with the Thai Ministry of Health's Medical Cannabis Department. The idea is to introduce the delegation to Israeli companies specializing in the agriculture, cultivation and extraction of cannabis, and to learn from Israeli know-how. The visit also aims to promote cooperation between the two countries, which could become commercial partners.

Israel has just’authorize exports of medical cannabis and could therefore export its production to Thailand. «As always, we focus our efforts on promoting Israeli industry abroad in general, and in Thailand in particular,» explains Dagan Alony, Director of the Office of Economy and Trade at the Israeli Embassy in Thailand. «This is an excellent opportunity for Israeli companies in the Thai market.

Israel's place

Israel is a pioneer in medical cannabis. Under the impetus of Professor Mechoulam who first isolated and synthesized CBD and THC in the 60s, the country now permits the use of cannabis in the treatment of serious illnesses. What's more, the Israeli industry has maintained its position at the cutting edge of technology, guaranteeing it a world leadership position. For countries wishing to develop their industry, Israel is a reference in the field. Recently China, which dispatched a delegation of experts to observe Israeli industry.

«The Thai people see Israel as a land of innovation, and we are delighted that the local government has decided to visit Israel at the most opportune time in terms of business potential and by means of a large delegation with the aim of examining cooperation opportunities and learning from the experience we have accumulated here,» adds Dagan Alony.

This pioneering position is a considerable advantage for Israel, as it effectively translates into economic opportunities. «Many countries are interested in learning our clinical methodology so that doctors can prescribe pharmaceutical cannabis to their patients, but many countries are even more interested not in domestic cannabis cultivation but in importing quality pharmaceutical products from Israel,» explains Yuval Landschaft, Director of Israel's Medical Cannabis Department.

Eventually, Israeli products and cannabis could be exported and distributed all over the world. Asia is a good bet for Israel, as Canadians are not yet very developed on that continent.