Raphael Mechoulam, the organic chemist best known for the first isolation and synthesis of THC, has joined Israeli medical cannabis company Cannbit Ltd., CTech reports.
Mechoulam is also currently a professor of medicinal chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Alongside fellow researcher Yechiel Gaoni, Mechoulam was the first person to isolate, elucidate the structure of, and synthesize Tetrahydrocannabinol in 1964. Since then, he has been the subject of at least one movie and has been awarded several prizes for his scientific research.
Cannbit is a medical cannabis grower in Israel. The company operates a 4,000 square-meter facility in Neot Hakikar, Israel. Canadian cannabis company Namaste Technologies also owns 10% of Cannbit.
Mechoulam has taken the chairman position of Cannbit Ltd.’s Scientific Advisory Committee. Israel currently leads the world in medical cannabis research, as the federal government there has allowed universities and hospitals to experiment with and investigate the plant since the 1990s.
Israel’s cannabis industry is expected to continue growing as the nation recently legalized cannabis exports and — with Israel at the forefront of cannabis research — companies like Cannbit can expect to see heavy demand.
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