Godfather of Marijuana research, Raphael Mechoulam says he’s never used it

Famous Israeli chemist, Raphael Mechoulam spent decades researching

the mysteries of marijuana in a lab, but his fascination with one of

the world's most popular drugs never led to personal experimentation.



In a recent interview with Culture Magazine, he said:

"I have never used it. First of all, I am still interested, but as I

did research and we had official supply of cannabis, obviously if we

had used it for non-scientific reasons, if people had come to know

about it that would have stopped our work.

Basically, neither I nor my students were interested."



His research into the pharmacology of cannabinoids (cannabis) began in

the early 1960s with a batch of hashish that police passed to him out

of an evidence locker.



Over the next few years, his group would become the first to isolate

and synthesize cannabidiol, or CBD, now revered for its potential

medical applications, as well as tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the

psychoactive compound in marijuana that makes users feel high.



Mechoulam's work also opened the door for more recent developments in

the field of marijuana medicine.



Studies have shown that cannabinoids have promise in the treatment of

ailments including cancer, epilepsy, chronic pain, anxiety and even

some psychotic symptoms.