Israel allocates $2.1 million for medical cannabis research

Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel and Health Minister Yaakov Litzman have decided to allocate $2.1 million to cannabis research. Inter-ministerial work will increase yields and knowledge of the product.

Research will focus on the biochemical and medical aspects of the herb. This vast government-approved program will enable scientists to carry out studies over 5 years. Most of this research will focus on interactions between the plant and the human body, for therapeutic purposes.

Matching cannabis varieties to pathologies

Teams will give priority to researching which varieties are effective for which pathologies. Eventually, doctors will be able to prescribe more precisely the type of weed best suited to the patient's situation. They will try to find out whether cannabis is effective when mixed with other drugs.’other ingredients. They will focus on multiple sclerosis and the effects of cannabis on vision. Researchers are also expected to provide answers on the plant's correlations with colon cancer, its potential to prevent transplant organ rejection and its ability to retard bacterial growth.

«A pioneering step for generations to come».»

The research teams will develop an expansion program for Israeli crops. For some time now, researchers have been asking for more space to reduce production costs. As a result, scientists will be working on new irrigation and fertilization techniques.’yield increase. The increase in cultivable land will also enable a diversification of the varieties of cannabis available on the market, more synergy with technologies and therefore an increase in cannabic know-how.

The research will be carried out by hospitals, universities, research institutes and pharmaceutical companies. According to Jerusalem Post, The funds will also be used to set up a «cannabis pharmacopoeia» type database. The authorities are planning to construct a building to be known as the «National Medical Cannabis Research Center». Finally, all doctors and pharmacies will soon have the right to prescribe and sell medical cannabis.

In Israel, although the conditions for accessing therapeutic cannabis are complicated, 25,000 patients are already treating their ailments with cannabis or its derivatives.

Théo Caillart