Medical cannabis is now being accepted more by medical authorities; including the World Health Organization (WHO), which recently said that oil made from cannabis seed, CBD hemp seed oil, is safe to use for a number of medical conditions. In many countries where cannabis plants are still not accepted for recreational usage, the use of variations of the hemp plant known as Cannabis Sativa is being accepted more and more as a medicinal herb.
Israel’s growing acceptance of the use of “medical marijuana” in treating or relieving the symptoms of numerous ailments has resulted in a recent surge in agricultural ventures to innovate and grow new varieties of cannabis plants. This has created a growing number of cannabis producing companies and ventures, some of whom have “gone public” by issuing shares on the local stock exchange. In fact, some of these shares have performed so well that investors are literally “getting high on Israeli cannabis stocks” as reported in a recent article in Globes, Israel’s leading financial news site. These shares have been so enthusiastically received by local investors that some have risen more than 400% in a matter of a few months.
Foreign cannabis entrepreneurs have also jumped on the Israel cannabis bandwagon; including a Dutch company which plans to invest nearly 2 million Euro in an Israeli cannabis venture.
The Dutch company, Barney’s Farm, grows cannabis seeds and operates the Barney’s Coffee Shop in Amsterdam, a favorite visitation spot for tourists, including Israelis. Barneys Farm plans to invest in an Israeli cannabis farm that is now planning to merge with Medivie Therapeutic Ltd., a company that produces pain soothing devices for the dental industry. Medivie plans to obtain a 51% ownership of the Israeli cannabis farm, now located on a local kibbutz.
Although recreational use of cannabis products is still not accepted in many countries, including Israel, ventures like the above mentioned one, plus the enthusiastic attention being received by investors in Israeli “pot stocks”, indicate that increasing use of cannabis as both a medicinal and recreational product has a high future in Israel and elsewhere.
Read more on cannibis and related topics:
World Health Organization calls cbd oil safe
New cannabis curriculum at City College of San Francisco
How Agtech is Going to Pot
Author: Maurice Picow
Maurice Picow grew up in Oklahoma City, U.S.A., where he received a B.S. Degree in Business Administration. Following graduation, Maurice embarked on a career as a real estate broker before making the decision to move to Israel. After arriving in Israel, he came involved in the insurance agency business and later in the moving and international relocation fields. Maurice became interested in writing news and commentary articles in the late 1990’s, and now writes feature articles for the The Jerusalem Post as well as being a regular contributor to Green Prophet. He has also written a non-fiction study on Islam, a two volume adventure novel, and is completing a romance novel about a forbidden love affair. Writing topics of particular interest for Green Prophet are those dealing with global warming and climate change, as well as clean technology - particularly electric cars.
