Unfettered by restrictions on marijuana such as those in the United States, other countries continue to take the lead on researching the potential health benefits of the cannabis plant.
Recently, researchers at Oxford University in the United Kingdom announced a research project into the potential medical value of marijuana. Now, Israel has launched the first clinical trial in the world to determine if cannabis can provide treatment for one specific condition: autism.
Israeli researchers are looking how the non-psychotropic compound found in cannabis – called cannabidiol (CBD) – might treat autistic children better than other medications have so far done.
Israel approved medical marijuana in 1992, before the first state did so in the U.S. (California in 1995), and has government approved-medical marijuana program. Obviously, there are clear differences in Israel and the U.S., where marijuana is still listed as a Schedule I illegal drug by the federal government.
In Israel, the government is helping foster the marijuana boom. The Ministry of Agriculture’s Volcani Center is building an institute for medical marijuana research. The government has handed out funding for entrepreneurial companies looking to make a start in the business.
The autism research is taking place at the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem. The study, which is expected to last through the end of 2018,…