

Photo: Tikun Olam

Let me boil down the medical marijuana controversy into a single sentence: instead of helping people with serious medical conditions, medical marijuana is an excuse for other people with dubious ailments to get high*.

But what if you can get the health benefits of cannabis without the high? That's what the Israelis are working on:

Situated in an undisclosed location near Tzfat, northern Israel, is a government-approved medical marijuana plantation which was founded in 2004 by a retired biology teacher. Named Tikun Olam, the plantation has created a new cannabis strain which contains very low traces of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main constituent in cannabis responsible for making people feel "stoned". By virtually eliminating THC in the new strain, Tikun Olam can now offer the drug's medicinal benefits to those patients who wish to keep a clear head.

Adam Williams of Gizmag has the story: Link