While marijuana is not yet legal in Israel, the nation's receptivity to pot during the past 50 years may surprise many people. Israel's history in marijuana research has helped shape laws regarding its use.
Here are four facts about the history of pot in Israel.
1. The nation has long been on the forefront of research about its
medical properties and use, according to AlterNet.org.
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Such research began in the 1960s, launching more than 50 years of investigation. Raphael Mechoulam is well-known in the pot research world as the Israeli scientist was the first to isolate the active ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in marijuana.
In a documentary, CNN called Israel the "medical research capital" as its research programs continue to expand and regulations against use relax there.
2. While medical marijuana laws have grown in recent years throughout the United States, its medical use has been legal in Israel since the early 1990s.
3. Israel has been a world leader in using marijuana to treat certain medical conditions, including Crohn's disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, fibromyalgia, chronic pain and inflammation, and basal-cell carcinoma,
the Jewish Journal reported.
4. Israel could become the first nation in the world to create a federally run marijuana program, the Journal reported, noting the nation's investment in quality strains as growers, users, scientists and the government rally their mutual interests. Already the Israeli government has OK'd some of the most unique clinical marijuana trials ever undertaken. It also has approved more then 18,000 licenses for medical use, a number pot proponents say is poised to grow.
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