Seminars

“Clear the smoke’’ a lecture on cannabis, the endocannabinoid system and cancer
29/12/2022 20:30
Associate Prof. Dedi Meiri
Faculty of Biology, Technion

The third lecture in the “Science Talk on the Bar” series of the Faculty of Biology

About:
• Is cannabis the antibiotics of the 21st century?
• How many patients in Israel and around the world use cannabis as a medicine and for which indications?
• How will you find the cannabis strain best suited for you and in what way does this wonderful plant open a bridge between modern and traditional medicine?

Did you think that with the medical cannabis revolution in the world, the world of scientific research would know everything there is to know about the plant?
Well as it turns out the answer is no! The field of medical cannabis research and the use of the plant as a medicine is still in its infancy.
There are dozens of different cannabis strains, and sometimes even a tiny change in the composition of the plant can cause your body to react differently and affect the symptoms of the disease in an entirely different way.

Over one hundred and twenty thousand patients in Israel are prescribed medical cannabis provided by the Ministry of Health.
The number of patients in the world consuming cannabis as a medicine is estimated at tens to hundreds of millions for diverse reasons such as pain relief, epilepsy, Parkinson’s, post-traumatic stress disorder, and more. But what do these patients actually get? What is cannabis? And what are the active ingredients?
Apparently, very little research in the world tries to answer these questions and the knowledge in the field is very limited…

The Meiri Lab in the Faculty of Biology is one of few in the world currently able to answer these questions. In the lecture, we will explain what is cannabis, what are the differences between the various types of plants, what are the active ingredients, and how and who today receives a prescription and approval for the use of medical cannabis.
Then we will tell you about some of the research conducted in our lab, including the study of cannabis’s anti-cancer properties, its anti-epileptic qualities, and more…

About the lecturer: Professor Dedi Meiri of the Technion is a world-leading researcher in the field of medical cannabis. He happened to stumble on the plant as part of the anti-cancer research being conducted in his lab. “I am not a big fan of cannabis,” he said in his TEDxTelAviv talk, “but you can’t take it away from cancer patients, autistic children, and the many people it has improved their quality of life.”

Location: Climbing wall – “Performance Rock”, 32 Hanamal St., Lower City, Haifa

A special benefit for those coming to the lecture: “Free climbing” + 1+1 sale on “Malka” beer.

Entry is free, subject to pre-registration – please secure your place here in the form: https://forms.gle/5QruPe97614V6gc4A