When Asi Naim, a severely autistic Israeli boy, started
hurting himself, his parents tried every kind of psychiatric drug to calm him.
Nothing worked.
Then Asi entered a
cannabis-based research program at Jerusalem’s Shaarei Zedek hospital. After a
period of trial and error, he started getting a dosage of cannabinoid drops
that worked.
Four years later, Asi
loves music, being at parties, going to the movies and travelling.
The same medication has
helped many of the 60 autistic children enrolled in neuro-pediatrian Adi Aran’s
program. Aran is now in the middle of a second, controlled study with 100
children. The end goal: approval by the US Federal Drug Administration (FDA) as
an experimental treatment.
Classifying the
formulation as an FDA-recognized drug is a key step in solidifying Israel’s
reputation as a global center for medical weed research, development and
exports. Belgium, Netherlands, Romania, Portugal, Czech Republic, Germany and
Switzerland are major potential markets for medical marijuana, says Ameri
Research Inc, a US market-research and consulting company. The market for
medical weed will reach $33 billion in 2024, Ameri said in an April report.
The Israeli government is
counting on its products standing out, distinguished by agricultural technology
created to make the desert bloom. Still, there’s a limited window of
opportunity to Israel’s advantage in the market. As other countries begin producing
for their own markets, the need for imports could fall, said Saul Kaye, founder
of iCAN, a company that invests in the local cannabis market.
The Health Ministry plans
to increase licenses for cannabis growers from eight to nearly 50 and has
invested 100 million shekels in research and development.
Asi’s little brother
Inbar, who is 15 and also on the autism spectrum, takes medical cannabis to
relieve anxiety. He now is able to invite friends over and sometimes even hug
them.
Source: DNA-10th November,2017
http://epaper2.dnaindia.com/index.php?pagedate=2017-11-10&edcode=820009&subcode=820009&mod=1&pgnum=2
