The recent shift in public opinion about marijuana has propelled a historic heave against the research blockade.

In spite of decades of politicization and prohibition, cannabis science is beginning to experience a rebirth—so much so that it was the topic of National Geographic’s most recent cover feature.

“We’re finding surprises, and possibly miracles, concealed inside this once forbidden plant,” writes the article’s author, Hampton Sides.

This trend, which contradicts growing global trends and public debate in Israel, has led many to question whether the Health Ministry is colluding with pharmaceutical companies. 

For Eitan, 25, medical cannabis is nothing short of a miracle. He's been using it for quite some time now to combat the nausea, vomiting, excruciating pain and weight loss caused by the pancreatic cancer he suffers from. "Without the cannabis, I honestly cannot function," he says.

Tikun Olam Announces Its First U.S. PartnershipIsrael's Leading Producer of Medical Cannabis Enters Into Exclusive Partnership in New York State with Compassionate Care Center of New York; Reunites with Canadian Partner MedReleaf

Medicinal cannabis is controversial, in Germany there are many caveats. In Israel, more than 20,000 patients receive such products - including children.

It started when Jali was four months old. The boy squirmed under convulsions, muscle twitching. The epileptic seizures occurred in the following years repeatedly, often several times a day. In order not to get hurt, the child was wearing a helmet. The parents lived in constant worry, the two brothers felt neglected. "The disease had determined our lives," says mother Jael Bracha.

PETACH TIKVA, Israel, June 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

OWC Pharmaceutical Research Corp. (OTCQB: OWCP), today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, One World Cannabis Ltd. ("the Company"), an Israel-based developer of cannabinoid-based therapies targeting a variety of different indications, is proud to announce it has received the first basic science study (lab) results on the effect of several combination of Cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on multiple myeloma cell line RPMI8226.

Based on the results, One World Cannabis will submit the clinical trial protocol to the IRB (Helsinki committee). The company expects to receive institutional review board approval for the study within 6-9 weeks.

It started when Jali was four months old. The boy squirmed under convulsions, muscle twitching. The epileptic seizures occurred in the following years repeatedly, often several times a day. In order not to get hurt, the child was wearing a helmet. The parents lived in constant worry, the two brothers felt neglected. "The disease has determined our lives," says mother Jael Bracha.

Today Jali is seven years old - and symptom-free. He owes this apparently to an agent that is illegal and controversial everywhere in many places: cannabis. Three times a day Jali gets several drops that contain the active ingredients tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). Since the start of therapy he had not a single attack more, says the mother.

Bureaucracy surrounding medical marijuana permits often drives patients in need to break the law and turn to the black market, MK Nissan Slomiansky (Bayit Yehudi) said Tuesday, in a Knesset committee meeting to discuss decriminalization of cannabis for personal use.

“The wait to receive medical marijuana can be as long as a year to two years, so that by the time it arrives sometimes it’s no longer needed. The bureaucracy causes sick people to become criminals and acquire cannabis illegally because they are waiting for a permit,” Slomiansky said.

This month’s National Geographic magazine features an interview with Raphael Mechoulam, the Israeli chemist known worldwide as the founder of medical marijuana research, as part of a cover story entitled “Weed: The New Science of Marijuana.”

Mechoulam’s early discoveries include tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in cannabis plants, and cannabidiol (CBD), another key ingredient with potential medical benefits but none of the mind-altering effects. He conducted this groundbreaking research in the sixties with Lebanese hashish confiscated by the Israeli national police.

An Australian pharmaceutical company, the most recent "pot stock" to trade on the ASX, has become one of the first local players to be granted a license to grow marijuana for medicinal purposes. 

MGC Pharmaceuticals, which is operated out of Israel, will be allowed to grow, process, import and export cannabis from Slovenia, where the government has legalised the practice.

Fellow Australian cannabis producer, AusCann, secured permission to grow and export marijuana on Norfolk Island in May. The difference between the two producers is MGC hopes to produce a product for the cosmetic industry whereas AusCann is targetting pain relief.