A cannabis conference scheduled for later this month in Tel Aviv, Israel has been postponed until June amid growing concerns over the COVID-19 coronavirus, organizers announced on Tuesday. A sister conference that focuses on psychedelics, PsyTech, was also postponed until June.
CannTech indicated the decision was made based on recommendations from the Israeli Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Saul Kaye, CEO of iCAN: Israel-Cannabis, said the organizers are “fully committed” to holding the events.
“Our number one concern is the health and safety of our attendees and speakers, our partners, our colleagues and our vendors. While we are disappointed to postpone both CannaTech Tel Aviv & PsyTech Summit, we are very confident it will be worth the wait.” – Kaye in a statement
The postponement of the event came one day after Expo West organizers announced their own delay but were not yet able to announce a new date. Expo West, a major natural products tradeshow that includes CBD brands, had been scheduled for this week in Anaheim, California.
The novel coronavirus has also disrupted vape cartridge supplies, such as coils and batteries, which come largely from China.
CannaTech is in its fifth year, while this is the first year PsyTech will be held.
According to Haaretz, Israel has had 15 confirmed cases of the coronavirus as of Wednesday, and officials have ordered a 14-day quarantine for all travelers returning from Germany, Spain, France, Switzerland, and Austria. The country has also banned gatherings of more than 5,000 people.
Out of the 15 confirmed cases of infected Israelis, eight are reported to have contracted the virus in Italy, while four contracted it from people in Israel who tested positive, according to the Haaretz report. The remaining three were aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which was docked in a Japanese port.
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