THC Discoverer to Testify For Medical Marijuana at Final Iowa Pharmacy Board Hearing Wednesday
COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA — Raphael Mechoulam, the Israeli scientist who in 1964 discovered THC, the main psychoactive component in marijuana, will testify by telephone in support of medical use of marijuana at Wednesday’s Iowa Board of Pharmacy hearing. Mechoulam, considered the world’s leading expert on marijuana and cannabinoids, will join other medical experts and patients in the last of four hearings to examine the medical value of marijuana and whether its classification under state law should be changed. After this final hearing, the Board of Pharmacy will make a recommendation to the state legislature regarding the scheduling of marijuana and what further steps are necessary.
WHAT: Iowa Board of Pharmacy hearing on medical marijuana.
WHO: Witnesses providing testimony will include:
Raphael Mechoulam, professor of Medicinal Chemistry and Natural Products at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, will testify by phone from Israel. Mechoulam’s team of scientists first discovered THC, marijuana’s psychoactive component, in 1964, and later identified the first marijuana-like chemical made by the human brain, known as anandamide.
WHEN: Wednesday, Nov. 4, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
WHERE: Harrah’s Casino and Hotel (Ballroom 1), One Harrah’s Boulevard, Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Prof. Mechoulam has a limited availability to speak with reporters. To arrange interviews with Prof. Mechoulam or with Marijuana Policy Project staffers who can place Wednesday’s hearing in a national context, contact MPP assistant director of communications Mike Meno at 202-905-2030 or mmeno@mpp.org.
