Mechoulam on the Next 50 Years

Raphael Mechoulam, professor of Medicinal Chemistry and Natural Products at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, began “reading on cannabis and planning some limited amount of work on it” in 1962. The work turned out to be limitless. Over the course of 50 years Mechoulam has participated in a remarkable number of cannabis-related achievements. He and his colleagues isolated and elucidated the chemical structure of THC, CBD, and many other plant cannabinoids (a term Mechoulam himself coined). They did the same for the endogenous cannabinoids, anandamide and 2-AG. They figured out the steps by which these compounds are synthesized in the body and exert their effects by activating receptors. Their accomplishments have dramatically advanced cannabinoid sciences. Learn what may be next in cannabis research.