By Yona Schnitzer
Israel briefly became the center of the cannabis world this week as the two day CannaTech conference took place at Tel Aviv’s fashionable port broadwalk. Cultivators, scientists, doctors, investors and entrepreneurs all came together at the Trask event hall to see the newest innovations in the field of medicinal cannabis. There were lectures, masterclasses and booths set up by leading Israeli and international companies showcasing their latest products and innovations.
Here are five Israeli companies to watch:
2. CannRX
CannRX, a Jerusalem based lab that has developed a revolutionary method of extracting active components from cannabis for medical use. Most traditional plant extraction methods involve the use of ethanol to extract oils from the plant matter, however, this method, which was not developed specifically for cannabis, has yet to be successful in extracting 100% of the essential oils, cannabinoids and terpenes which grant cannabis its unique medical properties. To address this issue, CannRX has developed an extraction system specifically designed for cannabis, which makes use of the traditional method used to consume cannabis for millenia – combustion. “We have 2,000 years of anecdotal evidence that smoking works, let’s not mess it up,” the company says. Using their vapor capture technology (VCT), the CannRX system either combusts or vaporizes the plant matter, and then passes the smoke or vapor through a process in which the active ingredients are separated from the unwanted toxins, and are then binded with ethanol to create a consistent, activated, full-spectrum solution. “What we are doing, is smoking the plant so you’re lungs don’t have to,״ CannRX says.
With Israel leading the world in many aspects of the cannabis industry, and with significant medicinal cannabis reforms rumored to be coming as early as April, Israeli companies and cultivators are expected to soon be allowed to not only export their technology, but their actual cannabis based products as well. Should that change occur, Israel may just find itself becoming the world’s first cannabis superpower.
