10 Things To Remember About Prof Robert Mechoulam (1930-2023)

The cannabis industry globally is mourning the loss of professor Robert Mechoulam, a name that many in the  are all too familiar with. Prof Mechoulam passed away on 9th March, 2023. He was very actively engaged in cannabis research until his demise. 

Fondly remembered as the founding father of modern medical cannabis, Mechoulam moved earth and heaven to get cannabis science to where it is today. Here are 10 things that the cannabis GOAT will be remembered for:

1. He was born in 1930 in Sofia, Bulgaria
2. His nickname was “Raphi.” Well, he is the godfather of modern cannabis medicine and cannabis research.
3. He is extremely well read, that’s why he is prof right? He first obtained a degree in chemical engineering, then acquired an Msc. in biochemistry from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and later got his Ph.D. at the Weizmann Institute. He  still went ahead to complete postdoctoral studies at the Rockefeller Institute in New York. In 1985 he became a professor at the Hebrew University, a position he held until his demise. 
4. He was the first person to isolate the major psychoactive cannabinoid in cannabis- THC
5. Together with his team of researchers isolated and identified the major cannabinoids such as cannabigerol (CBG) which is the mother of all cannabinoids, cannabidiol (CBD) the hallmark of medical cannabis, and cannabidiolic acid (CBDA). He presented the discovery of CBDA at the 2019 Cannmed Conference. 
6. He first obtained cannabis for research from the Israeli police. Mechoulam gained a lot of research experience by working in the Israeli army
7. In 1992, he together with Willian Devane discovered the body’s primary endogenous cannabinoid- anandamide (bliss molecule). He, together with other scientists, wondered why the body had so many endocannabinoid receptors but lacked endogenous molecules to act on them. 
8. He was a founding member of the International Association for Cannabinoid Medicines and International Cannabinoid Research Society. 
9. He published more than 450 scientific papers in his lifetime
10. He died on 9th, March 2023

Light a candle or a blunt in honor of him today. Most important of all, soldier on in the fight to ensure that the full potential of medical cannabis is stretched to its limits.