Israel Looking to Become Leading MMJ Supplier

Medical marijuana producers in Israel will be holding a conference in Jaffa this week for potential investors in the country's new industry.  Israeli scientists have developed a marijuana called "Raphael" which gives the medical benefit without the high, and lots of people seem to be interested. 

The Washington Post has coverage in a story, Israeli medical marijuana creates buzz but no high— will it go global?  Here's a sample:

    Israel has become a world leader in science on the medical uses of marijuana, and its producers could become major exporters of medical cannabis, experts say. But so far, the government has allowed them to export only their knowledge — not the actual product.

    Michael Dor, the senior medical adviser in the Israeli Health Ministry’s cannabis unit, said that in ongoing government talks, agricultural officials support the export of Israeli medical cannabis, but top officials in the police force, army and executive branch oppose it. Exports face stringent international legal requirements, Dor said, adding that those officials “don’t want Israel to be seen all over the world as a country that exports weapons and cannabis.”

    Even without being exported, Israel’s medical cannabis research and development is drawing global interest. PhytoTech Medical, an Australian medical cannabis venture that just raised $6 million in a public offering, announced a deal last week with Yissum, the technology transfer arm of Jerusalem’s Hebrew University, to develop precisely dosed pills for the mainstream pharmaceutical market.