Our confrères at Libération reveal a pertinent dossier on Israel and its new economic intention: recreational cannabis.
By decriminalizing the recreational use of cannabis at the end of April and giving the green light to exports, Israel is speeding up its race for green gold. The aim: to become a world producer.
The modern history of the plant with its fine crenellated leaves began in Jerusalem in 1964, when chemist Raphael Mechoulam was the first to isolate THC (the main psychoactive component) and CBD (an effective painkiller) from the hundred or so molecules that make up cannabis, in his lab at the Hebrew University.
Since then, and particularly over the last two decades, Israel has become a leader in research and applications in this field. The country is now looking to move on to the next stage: that of global producer. But the milieu remains a murky ecosystem, between smoky hype and the green gold rush. Dive into the heart of the weed state’s economy in three acts. Find out more here
Jacob
