Renowned cannabis researcher and professor Dr. Raphael Mechoulam has passed away at 92. Mechoulam’s contributions to our understanding of cannabinoid biology are unparalleled. He was the first to isolate and identify THC as the active compound in cannabis in 1964, and over the next six decades, he helped legitimize and destigmatize cannabis through scientific research. Mechoulam’s groundbreaking work impacted legalization efforts in various parts of the world. Born in Bulgaria in 1930, Mechoulam escaped the Holocaust and went on to study Biochemistry at The Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He began studying cannabis as he was searching for natural products that had not been well evaluated and could be used as drugs or for biological purposes. Before his death, Mechoulam published a review that detailed his life’s work in cannabis.
