Dr. Raphael Mechoulam: “The Godfather of Cannabis” - Who is He and Why Do You Need to Know?

The cannabis plant has been utilized as a medicinal remedy for thousands of years with no particular culture or founder credited. Until the last century when Dr. Raphael Mechoulam became known as the “Godfather of Cannabis”. 

He is a 90-year-old Israeli organic chemist who has been studying THC and cannabinoids, including CBD, for over 30 years. He began his cannabis research in the 1960s, by asking police stations for their contraband in order to study it closely. He has published more than 350 scientific articles and has both received and been nominated for many prestigious awards. 

In the 1950s, as a young doctoral student and soon to be professor, he was inspired by research done 150 years prior where morphine was successfully isolated from opium. Another similar process of producing cocaine from coca leaves drove Dr. Mechoulam to ponder on the cannabis plant and its cannabinoids. At 34 years old, he and his colleague, Yechiel Gaoni, successfully isolated tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) from the cannabis plant! 

The isolation of the plant’s psychoactive ingredient led to the identification of the Endocannabinoid System (ECS) in the human body.  This ignited research into its medicinal effects. He was not the first person to isolate CBD but was the person behind discovering the distinguishable structure of cannabidiol, aka CBD. Additionally, he identified the brain’s first endogenous cannabinoid, Anandamide, meaning “supreme joy” in Sanskrit. It is the compound that triggers cannabis’ receptors to begin processing. 

Another element of Dr. Mechoulam’s incredible work is his refutations of various myths and misconceptions surrounding cannabis. His work has been instrumental in allowing for cannabis prescriptions and inciting societal perception shifts. While he cannot take credit for its discovery, Raphael Mechoulam is certainly a pioneer who has absolutely earned the title “Godfather of Cannabis”.