Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Fast Forward

Jerusalem Will Host International Marijuana Symposium

After Jews, Muslims and Christians, Jerusalem is now a holy site for one more group: marijuana scientists.

A major marijuana research group has picked Jerusalem as the host city for its annual International Symposium on the Cannabinoids in 2021. The International Cannabinoid Research Society, the oldest group devoted to researching the medical and therapeutic benefits of marijuana, will meet under the aegis of Hebrew University’s Multidisciplinary Center on Cannabinoid Research.

“Jerusalem holds a special place in the history of the science of cannabis and the endocannabinoids,” Dr. Cecilia Hillard, the executive director of the ICRS, said in a statement. Hillard noted that Hebrew University’s Dr. Raphael Mechoulam was the first to discover the chemical structure of marijuana’s famed active ingredient, THC.

Dr. Mechoulam, who has been with Hebrew University for over four decades, is widely regarded as the “father of cannabinoid research,” and will direct the upcoming symposium.

Israel, which bans recreational marijuana use but encourages medical consumption of the plant, is now considering exporting its greenhouse-grown, medical-grade herb.

Contact Ari Feldman at [email protected] or on Twitter @aefeldman.

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.