by Amy Wilding-Fox
With cannabis fever spreading worldwide, there is now a race, it seems, to be the first nation to reach the pinnacle of the industry. After decades of cannabis prohibition spanning the globe (lead primarily by U.S. policy), policies designed to decriminalize and legalize marijuana are now reaching all corners of the globe.
One such country looking to become the world leader in medical cannabis is no other than Israel. Through multiple channels, Israeli-lead pharmaceuticals are taking charge of this pursuit.
One of their first steps in this plan began August of 2021, when the federal government changed the Israeli laws to allow seed exports. This resulted in the U.S. receiving its first legal shipment of Israeli seeds over the summer, and those seeds hitting seed banks across the country. The Israeli Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development hailed the move as “a major step” toward their goal of being a reigning pioneer in the budding global industry.
Next, Israel is well on their way in the creation of lab-made cannabis plants that are reaching far higher levels of THC and CBG, the two main active ingredients of the marijuana plant. Using a modified plant virus that once harmed the plants, they have found a way to genetically modify the plants to exceed levels of THC far beyond the average. In the research conducted by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, it was found when modifying the virus it actually became beneficial to the plant, increasing THC levels 17 percent above those not treated, and increasing CBG by nearly 25 percent over those not treated. They feel that, with this development, they could impact the medicinal aspects and overall medical field exponentially by creating a synthetic form of cannabis.
Finally, Israel is one of the major players at the federal level of the U.S. lobbying for federal change and regulations. Along with Big Tobacco and Alcohol, Israeli pharmaceutical company Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (NYSE:TEVA) is joining the table as one of the Big Pharma to represent law change. Along with others in Big Pharma, like Bayer, they are actively lobbying for rescheduling (NOT de-scheduling) of cannabis so that they can study cannabis under FDA-approved research. The reason for this is the pharmaceuticals want to be able to take over manufacturing and lobbying for the same regulations to be placed on cannabis as with any other mass-produced pharmaceutical. This would give them the reins moving forward, thus possibly creating a black market of growers once again. People would still possibly be able to grow their own, but the caregiver model would certainly be a thing of the past under their ideology.
So, will Israel become the world leader in cannabis production? That has yet to be determined as this fledgling industry is still growing rapidly worldwide. But with these bids already in, they may be well on their way to winning that top spot.
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