After several attempts to get cannabis oil allowed through the court system with many testimonials from those who had been helped, cannabis advocate Rick Simpson realized this important harsh reality: The cancer industry does not want a cure for cancer.

Since then, Rick removed himself from Canada and exiled himself to Amsterdam, Netherlands. Now he tours the world spreading the wonders of cannabis healing to whomever is willing to listen.

You can view his full length documentary below.

Cannabis has been illegal in the Holy Land longer than nearly any other place on the globe, and it is all because of a particular British gentlemen and an Egyptian doctor.

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan (Likud) announced Thursday that he supports the decriminalization of cannabis in Israel. If Erdan's initiative is adopted by the government it will end a long history of criminal prohibition of the drug, especially in light of the fact that cannabis has been illegal here longer than nearly any other place on the globe.

The relatively early date of cannabis prohibition in the Holy Land is coincidental and is mostly due to the personal history of a particular British gentleman by the name of Ronald Storrs.  

The Justice Ministry recommended to Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked that the use of marijuana not be prosecuted criminally, but fined or punished by administrative sanctions, instead.

A 120-page legal opinion reviewing concerns raised by decriminalizing marijuana was first reported by the Walla website. The document notes concerns that the number of users could rise, particularly among minors; that road accidents might increase; that decriminalization of soft drugs could be a gateway to the use of more serious drugs and that leniency could make it more difficult to collect evidence against drug dealers.

While Israel is already a world leader in medical cannabis research, for the first time the government has decided to fuel the blaze.

The Agriculture Ministry’s chief scientist will be investing NIS 8 million in 13 relevant biochemistry and medical research projects, with the hope of improving the growth of medical cannabis in Israel, the ministry announced on Monday. Describing the initiative as “a pioneering step,” the ministry said the funds will enable scientists to perform both basic and applied research for five years, developing the tools and infrastructure “that will lead the next generation of medical cannabis products.”

Israeli scientists began their pioneering research to isolate the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana with a 10-pound stash seized by the Tel Aviv police. That effort, in the 1960s, helped propel Israel to the vanguard of research into the plant's medicinal properties and lay the foundations for a medical marijuana industry.

Now the nation's burgeoning pot business, backed by an unlikely coalition of farmers, lawyers, scientists, entrepreneurs and the country's ultraorthodox health minister, is going mainstream – and eyeing markets abroad.

New program will encourage corporations to set up innovation labs, to foster startups and get government benefits.

The Israel Innovation Authority has set up a new “Technological Innovation Labs” program that aims to prod corporations to set up innovation labs to support startups in their field of interest.

Israel’s military will be relaxing its disciplinary actions against soldiers accused of consuming cannabis while they are on leave, a general in charge of the reform said Wednesday. Offending soldiers will no longer be systematically court-martialed nor receive prison sentences of up to two months, said reserve Maj. Gen. Danny Efroni, the Israeli Defense Force’s former chief military advocate general, according to Times of Israel.

The reform would not apply to soldiers who consume cannabis while on duty. Under the changes, soldiers found to have consumed cannabis would need to agree to undergo regular testing to show they are abstaining from consumption.

Israel’s Council for Higher Education has, for the first time for a major university, given approval to a course on medical cannabis. The course will take place at Ariel University.

The course was initiated and is being led by Dr. Michael Dor. Dor is a lecturer at the university’s Faculty of Health Sciences, and is also a chief adviser of the nation’s Health Ministry.

According to Dor, 117 students have been accepted into the course. The course includes: