Is cannabis the new wonder drug?

Israeli scientists are exploring cannabis as a treatment, or even cure, for conditions ranging from cancer to Parkinson’s, asthma, insomnia, PTSD, epilepsy and IBS. Cancer, chronic pain, epilepsy, asthma, insomnia, autism, PTSD, inflammatory bowel disease, Parkinson’s – the list of conditions that can be improved, and possibly cured, by medical cannabis keeps growing longer.

The powerful plant used to make marijuana and hashish may prove to be the wonder drug of the century. Israeli researchers have long been at the forefront of discovering which of its many components — and in what quantity and form of delivery –- are effective for which ailments. Already since the 1990s, medical cannabis has been permitted in Israel and currently is dispensed by prescription to about 33,000 people for relief of pain associated with diseases such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s and Crohn’s, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Now, academic and corporate research is more intensive than ever. The Israeli government is formulating rules for exporting medical cannabis products such as capsules and oils, and the first government-sponsored international conference on medical cannabis will take place April 23-26 near Tel Aviv. We spoke to conference organizer Hinanit Koltai, PhD, senior research scientist at the government’s Agricultural Research Organization – Volcani Institute. She works with the Agriculture and Health ministries to promote medicalization of cannabis by determining proper growth conditions and building a national cannabis gene bank for the use of authorized growers, scientists and breeders. -- More...