{{Short description|Israeli chemist (1930–2023)}} {{Infobox scientist |name = Raphael Mechoulam | native_name = {{Nobold|רפאל משולם}} |image = Professor Raphael Mechoulam.jpg |image_size = 200px |caption = |birth_date = {{birth date|1930|11|5|df=y}}<ref name="Williams"/> |birth_place = [[Sofia]], [[Kingdom of Bulgaria|Bulgaria]] |death_date = {{death date and age|2023|3|9|1930|11|5|df=y}} |death_place = [[Jerusalem]] |citizenship = Israel |fields = Medicinal Chemistry, Natural Products |workplaces = [[Weizmann Institute of Science]], [[Rockefeller University]], [[Hebrew University of Jerusalem]] |alma_mater = |doctoral_advisor = Prof. [[Franz Sondheimer]] |academic_advisors = |doctoral_students = |notable_students = |known_for = Total synthesis of [[tetrahydrocannabinol]], major contributions to the chemistry of [[cannabinoid]]s and discovery of [[endocannabinoid]]s |author_abbrev_bot = |author_abbrev_zoo = |influences = |influenced = |awards = [[Harvey Prize]] (2019) <br /> [[Israel Prize]] (2000) <br /> [[EMET Prize]] (2012) <br /> [[Rothschild Prize]] (2012) <br /> [[Heinrich Wieland Prize]] (2004) <br /> [[NIDA Discovery Award]] (2011) |signature = <!--(filename only)--> |footnotes = }}
'''Raphael Mechoulam'''{{efn|{{langx|he|רפאל משולם}}, {{langx|bg|Рафаел Мешулам}}}} ({{Langx|he|רפאל משולם}}; 5 November 1930 – 9 March 2023) was a Bulgarian-born Israeli [[organic chemist]] and a professor in the Department of Natural Materials at the School of Pharmacy in the Faculty of Medicine of the [[Hebrew University of Jerusalem]]. Mechoulam served as Rector of the university from 1979–1982. He was elected to the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities in 1994<ref name="AFHU"/><ref name="CV"/> and served as its scientific chair from 2007-2013.<ref name="chair">{{cite web |title=Chairpersons, The Sciences |url=https://www.academy.ac.il/Branches/Branch.aspx?nodeId=826&branchId=364 |website=The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities |access-date=3 May 2023 |language=en}}</ref> He was a recipient of the Israel Prize for Chemistry Research in 2000 and the Harvey Prize for 2019-2020.<ref name="Harvey">{{cite news |title=The Harvey Prize will be awarded this year for discovering the active molecules in the cannabis plant to Prof. Rafael Meshulam |url=https://en.pharmacyschool.huji.ac.il/harvey-prize-will-be-awarded-year-discovering-active-molecules-cannabis-plant-prof |access-date=2 May 2023 |work=Hebrew University of Jersulaem |date=2020 |language=en}}</ref>
Known as "the godfather of cannabis research", Mechoulam is best known for his work (together with [[Yehiel Gaoni|Y. Gaoni]]) in the isolation of [[tetrahydrocannabinol]], or THC, the main active principle of [[cannabis (drug)|cannabis]].<ref name="Williams">{{cite web |author-first= Alex |author-last=Williams |date= March 22, 2023 |title= Raphael Mechoulam, 'Father of Cannabis Research,' Dies at 92 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/22/science/raphael-mechoulam-dead.html|website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref name="Maccarrone">{{cite journal |last1=Maccarrone |first1=M |title=Tribute to Professor Raphael Mechoulam, The Founder of Cannabinoid and Endocannabinoid Research. |journal=Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) |date=5 January 2022 |volume=27 |issue=1 |page=323 |doi=10.3390/molecules27010323 |pmid=35011553 |pmc=8746417 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="Mechoulam"/> He was also successful in the isolation and identification of the endogenous cannabinoids [[anandamide]] from the brain and 2-arachidonoyl glycerol, or [[2-Arachidonoylglycerol|2-AG]], from peripheral organs.<ref name="birthday">{{cite journal |last1=Pertwee |first1=RG |title=The 90th Birthday of Professor Raphael Mechoulam, a Top Cannabinoid Scientist and Pioneer. |journal=International Journal of Molecular Sciences |date=16 October 2020 |volume=21 |issue=20 |page=7653 |doi=10.3390/ijms21207653 |pmid=33081122 |pmc=7593926 |doi-access=free }}</ref> His work has led to the discovery of the [[endocannabinoid system]], which has effects on many important aspects of human health.<ref name="Harvey"/><ref name="Alger">{{cite journal |last1=Alger |first1=BE |title=Getting high on the endocannabinoid system. |journal=Cerebrum: The Dana Forum on Brain Science |date=November 2013 |volume=2013 |pages=14 |pmid=24765232 |pmc=3997295 }}</ref>
==Biography== Mechoulam was born in [[Sofia]], Bulgaria on 5 November 1930, to a [[Sephardic Jewish]] family. Both parents were well-educated: his father was a [[physician]] and head of a local hospital and his mother had studied in Berlin. He attended an "American grade school" in Sofia until the enactment of [[antisemitism|antisemitic laws]] and the beginning of [[World War II]].<ref name="Mechoulam"/> The school was closed. Mechoulam's parents left Sofia, removing to a small village in the Balkans, where they hoped they would be safer. In spite of being the only doctor in the area, Mechoulam's father was subsequently sent to a [[concentration camp]], which he survived.<ref name="Mechoulam"/><ref name="Gerald">{{cite news |last1=Gerald |first1=Eddie |title=Raphael Mechoulam obituary |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/article/raphael-mechoulam-obituary-k3psbr9x6 |access-date=3 May 2023 |work=[[The Times]] |date=May 3, 2023 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Williams"/> After the communist takeover of hitherto pro-German [[Bulgaria#CITEREFBulgaria in World War II: The Passive Alliance|Bulgaria]] in 1944 he studied [[chemical engineering]], which he "disliked."<ref name="Addiction">{{citation | title=Conversation with Raphael Mechoulam | journal=Addiction | volume=102 | issue=6 | year=2007 | publisher=Wiley | pages=887–893 | pmid=17523982 | doi=10.1111/j.1360-0443.2007.01795.x | last1=Mechoulam | first1=R. | doi-access=free }}</ref>
In 1949 his family immigrated to [[Israel]] where he later studied [[chemistry]].<ref name="Addiction"/> Mechoulam received his M.Sc. in [[biochemistry]] from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1952. During his military service in the [[Israeli Army]] from 1953 to 1956, he conducted research on [[insecticides]].<ref name="birthday"/>
In the years 1956–1958, Mechoulam did his doctorate at the [[Weizmann Institute of Science]], and was one of the first to be awarded a doctorate by the Weizmann Institute. The topic of his doctoral thesis was the synthesis of steroids and it was conducted under the guidance of [[Franz Sondheimer]]. From 1959 to 1960, he did a post-doctorate at the [[Rockefeller University|Rockefeller Institute]] in New York in research on the structure of [[terpenes]]. From 1960 to 1965, he worked as a researcher at the Weizmann Institute, and studied the chemistry of natural substances, including cannabinoids, terpenes, and alkaloids.<ref name="Crowther">{{cite book |last1=Crowther |first1=S M |last2=Reynolds |first2=L A |last3=Tansey |first3=E M |title=The medicalization of cannabis : the transcript of a Witness Seminar held by the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at UCL, London, on 24 March 2009 |date=2010 |publisher=Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at UCL |location=London |isbn=9780854841295 |page=92|volume=40|series=Wellcome Witnesses to Twentieth Century Medicine |url=http://www.histmodbiomed.org/sites/default/files/44870.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150922161112/http://www.histmodbiomed.org/sites/default/files/44870.pdf|url-status=usurped|archive-date=September 22, 2015}}</ref>
In 1966, Mechoulam joined the faculty of the [[Hebrew University in Jerusalem]].<ref name="Williams"/> In 1967, he received a research grant from the Institute of Mental Health in the United States to continue his research on hashish.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Mechoulam |first1=R |last2=Ben-Zvi |first2=Z |last3=Gaoni |first3=Y |title=Hashish--13. On the nature of the Beam test. |journal=Tetrahedron |date=August 1968 |volume=24 |issue=16 |pages=5615–24 |doi=10.1016/0040-4020(68)88159-1 |pmid=5732891}}</ref><ref name="Jorisch">{{cite news |last1=Jorisch |first1=Avi |title=A higher calling: How Israeli marijuana research changed the world |url=https://www.jpost.com/opinion/a-higher-calling-how-israeli-marijuana-research-changed-the-world-560381 |access-date=3 May 2023 |work=The Jerusalem Post |date=June 19, 2018}}</ref> In 1968, he was appointed an associate professor,<ref name="CV"/> and in 1972, a full professor, at Hebrew University.<ref name="Crowther"/> In 1975 he was appointed to the Lionel Jacobson chair for medicinal chemistry.<ref name="CV"/>
From 1979 to 1982, Mechoulam served as rector of the Hebrew University, and from 1983 to 1985 as pro-rector.<ref name="Crowther"/><ref name="Siegel-Itzkovich">{{cite news |last1=Siegel-Itzkovich |first1=Judy |title=Prof. Raphael Mechoulam, father of Israeli cannabis research, dies at 92 |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-734028 |access-date=3 May 2023 |work=The Jerusalem Post |date=March 11, 2023}}</ref> In 1982, he was a visiting professor at Ohio University, and in 1993–1994 he was a visiting professor in the Department of Pharmacology at the Richmond College of Medicine.<ref name="CV"/> In 1994, he was elected a member of the [[Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities]].<ref name="AFHU">{{cite news |title=Hebrew University Prof. Raphael Mechoulam "Father of Cannabis Research" Dies at 92 |url=https://www.afhu.org/2023/03/10/hebrew-university-prof-raphael-mechoulam-father-of-cannabis-research-dies-at-92/ |access-date=2 May 2023 |work=American Friends of the Hebrew University |date=10 March 2023}}</ref><ref name="CV">{{cite web |title=Professor Raphael Mechoulam |url=https://www.academy.ac.il/SystemFiles/19643.pdf |website=The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities |access-date=3 May 2023}}</ref>
Mechoulam was a founding member of the [[International Association for Cannabinoid Medicines]] (IACM) and the [[International Cannabinoid Research Society]].<ref name="Silow-Carroll"/> He served as president of the International Cannabinoid Research Society from (1999–2002)<ref name="INN2023">{{cite news |title='Father of cannabis research': Prof. Raphael Mechoulam dies at 92 |url=https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368610 |access-date=3 May 2023 |work=Israel National News |date=12 March 2023 |language=en}}</ref> and Chairman of the Board of the International Association for Cannabinoid Medicines (2003–2005).<ref name="Grotenhermen"/> From 2007 to 2018, he served as the chairman of the Natural Sciences Division at the Israel National Academy of Sciences.<ref name="chair"/> The documentary ''The Scientist: Are We Missing Something?'' details the life and career of Mechoulam from his early life in Bulgaria through to his career with cannabis. It premiered at the [[Virginia Film Festival]] in November 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Scientist: Are We Missing Something? |url=https://virginiafilmfestival.org/festival/2015/films/the-scientist-are-we-missing-something |access-date=2026-03-29 |website=Virginia Film Festival |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Scientist {{!}} The story of Raphael Mechoulam and the endocannabinoid system |url=http://mechoulamthescientist.com/ |access-date=2026-03-29 |language=en-US}}</ref>
Mechoulam died on 9 March 2023, at the age of 92.<ref name="Silow-Carroll">{{cite news |last= Silow-Carroll |first= Andrew |title= Raphael Mechoulam, Israel's 'father of cannabis research,' dies at 92: Esteemed scientist led pioneering research into psychoactive substance, with findings that helped ease its shift out of counterculture and into the mainstream |work=The Times of Israel |url= https://www.timesofisrael.com/raphael-mechoulam-israels-father-of-cannabis-research-dies-at-92/ |date=11 March 2023|accessdate= 14 March 2023}}</ref><ref name="Cermak">{{cite magazine |last= Cermak |first= Timmen L. |title= Raphael Mechoulam, Father of Cannabis Research, Dead at 92: Gratitude for the man and the researcher. |magazine=[[Psychology Today]] |url= https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/healing-from-addiction/202303/raphael-mechoulam-father-of-cannabis-research-dead-at-92 |date=13 March 2023|accessdate= 14 March 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Scopel |first1=Joana |title=Renowned Scientist And Father Of THC Dr. Raphael Mechoulam Dies At 92 |url=https://www.benzinga.com/markets/cannabis/23/03/31297235/renowned-scientist-and-father-of-thc-dr-raphael-mechoulam-dies-at-92 |access-date=10 March 2023 |publisher=Benzinga |date=10 March 2023}}</ref>
==Research== Raphael Mechoulam's major scientific interest was the chemistry and pharmacology of [[cannabinoids]]. In 1963 Mechoulam began working on the components of the cannabis plant, from which hashish and marijuana are produced. Although cannabis had been the most widely used illegal drug in many parts of the world for centuries, its chemistry and biology were unknown, in contrast to morphine and cocaine, the two other common illegal drugs, which had been isolated as early as the 19th century. While some research had been done, the psychoactive components of cannabis had not been isolated in their pure form, and their chemical structure had not been explained.<ref name="Pertwee"/><ref name="Appendino">{{cite journal |last1=Appendino |first1=Giovanni |title=The early history of cannabinoid research |journal=Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali |date=1 December 2020 |volume=31 |issue=4 |pages=919–929 |doi=10.1007/s12210-020-00956-0 |s2cid=222179431 |language=en |issn=1720-0776|doi-access=free }}</ref>
With other members of his research group including Yehiel Gaoni, Mechoulam elaborated the structures and stereochemistry of the major plant cannabinoids [[cannabidiol]] (CBD, 1963) and Δ<sup>9</sup>-[[tetrahydrocannabinol]] (THC, 1964) and succeeded in their total synthesis in 1965.<ref name="Pertwee">{{cite journal |last1=Pertwee |first1=RG |title=Cannabinoid pharmacology: the first 66 years. |journal=British Journal of Pharmacology |date=January 2006 |volume=147 |issue=Suppl 1 |pages=S163-71 |doi=10.1038/sj.bjp.0706406 |pmid=16402100 |pmc=1760722 }}</ref> They also isolated, characterized and synthesized [[cannabigerol]] (CBG, 1964), and showed that it was not psychoactive.<ref name="Navarro">{{cite journal |last1=Navarro |first1=G |last2=Varani |first2=K |last3=Reyes-Resina |first3=I |last4=Sánchez de Medina |first4=V |last5=Rivas-Santisteban |first5=R |last6=Sánchez-Carnerero Callado |first6=C |last7=Vincenzi |first7=F |last8=Casano |first8=S |last9=Ferreiro-Vera |first9=C |last10=Canela |first10=EI |last11=Borea |first11=PA |last12=Nadal |first12=X |last13=Franco |first13=R |title=Cannabigerol Action at Cannabinoid CB(1) and CB(2) Receptors and at CB(1)-CB(2) Heteroreceptor Complexes. |journal=Frontiers in Pharmacology |date=2018 |volume=9 |article-number=632 |doi=10.3389/fphar.2018.00632 |pmid=29977202 |pmc=6021502 |doi-access=free }}</ref> In 1970, Mechoulam's doctoral student Zvi Ben-Zvi reported the first isolation of an active THC metabolite in the human body.<ref name="Ben-Zvi">{{cite journal |last1=Ben-Zvi |first1=Zvi |last2=Mechoulam |first2=Raphael |last3=Burstein |first3=Sumner |title=Identification through synthesis of an active .DELTA.1(6)-tetrahydrocannabinol metabolite |journal=Journal of the American Chemical Society |date=June 1970 |volume=92 |issue=11 |pages=3468–3469 |doi=10.1021/ja00714a043 |pmid=4987240 |bibcode=1970JAChS..92.3468B |url=https://doi.org/10.1021/ja00714a043 |language=en |issn=0002-7863|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
During the 1980s, Mechoulam continued to study the active structure of the cannabinoids and began to work with clinicians on clinical trials with THC and CBD in animal models.<ref name="Jones">{{cite journal |last1=Jones |first1=Nicola |title=Scientific highs and lows of cannabinoids |journal=Knowable Magazine |date=31 January 2023 |doi=10.1146/knowable-013123-1|doi-access=free |url=https://knowablemagazine.org/article/health-disease/2023/scientific-highs-and-lows-cannabinoids |access-date=3 May 2023 |language=en|url-access=subscription }}</ref> In 1987, Mechoulam and A. Abrahamov initiated a clinical trial with Δ8-THC (a more stable isomer of Δ9-THC) in children who were undergoing chemotherapy treatments against cancer. The substance prevented nausea and vomiting and has since been used clinically against nausea and vomiting in chemotherapy patients.<ref name="Parker">{{cite journal |last1=Parker |first1=LA |last2=Rock |first2=EM |last3=Limebeer |first3=CL |title=Regulation of nausea and vomiting by cannabinoids. |journal=British Journal of Pharmacology |date=August 2011 |volume=163 |issue=7 |pages=1411–22 |doi=10.1111/j.1476-5381.2010.01176.x |pmid=21175589 |pmc=3165951 }}</ref><ref name="Jones"/>
In 1989, Mechoulam established the concept that THC-style activity depends on a three-dimensional stereospecific structure.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Mechoulam |first1=R |last2=Feigenbaum |first2=JJ |last3=Lander |first3=N |last4=Segal |first4=M |last5=Järbe |first5=TU |last6=Hiltunen |first6=AJ |last7=Consroe |first7=P |title=Enantiomeric cannabinoids: stereospecificity of psychotropic activity. |journal=Experientia |date=15 September 1988 |volume=44 |issue=9 |pages=762–4 |doi=10.1007/BF01959156 |pmid=3416993|s2cid=19589995 }}</ref> This distinction is one of the factors that has led to the discovery (by other groups) of a specific cannabinoid receptor known as CB1.<ref name="Marzo"/>
Mechoulam initiated a research project that led to the isolation of the first described [[endocannabinoid]] [[anandamide]] (N-arachidonoyl-ethanolamine, AEA) in 1992.<ref name="Pertwee"/><ref name="Mechoulam"/> Anandamide, which is a fatty acid derivative, differs in its structure from the plant cannabinoid, and has the same activity profile as THC.<ref name="Scherma">{{cite journal |last1=Scherma |first1=M |last2=Masia |first2=P |last3=Satta |first3=V |last4=Fratta |first4=W |last5=Fadda |first5=P |last6=Tanda |first6=G |title=Brain activity of anandamide: a rewarding bliss? |journal=Acta Pharmacologica Sinica |date=March 2019 |volume=40 |issue=3 |pages=309–323 |doi=10.1038/s41401-018-0075-x |pmid=30050084 |pmc=6460372 }}</ref> It was isolated and characterized by postdoctoral researchers William Devane and [[Lumír Ondřej Hanuš]].<ref name="Pertwee"/><ref name="Mechoulam">{{Cite journal |last=Mechoulam |first=Raphael |date=2023-01-20 |title=A Delightful Trip Along the Pathway of Cannabinoid and Endocannabinoid Chemistry and Pharmacology |journal=Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology |language=en |volume=63 |issue=1 |pages=1–13 |doi=10.1146/annurev-pharmtox-051921-083709 |pmid=35850522 |s2cid=250642163 |issn=0362-1642|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="Solomon">{{cite news |last1=Solomon |first1=Shoshanna |title=Israeli lab set up to give clinical validation to cannabis research |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-lab-set-up-to-give-clinical-validation-to-cannabis-research/ |access-date=2 May 2023 |work=The Times of Israel |date=15 October 2018}}</ref> Another [[endogenous]] cannabinoid, 2-arachidonoylglycerol ([[2-AG]]), was discovered in 1995 by Shimon Ben-Shabat, one of his PhD students.<ref name="Justinová">{{cite journal |last1=Justinová |first1=Zuzana |last2=Yasar |first2=Sevil |last3=Redhi |first3=Godfrey H. |last4=Goldberg |first4=Steven R. |title=The Endogenous Cannabinoid 2-Arachidonoylglycerol Is Intravenously Self-Administered by Squirrel Monkeys |journal=Journal of Neuroscience |date=11 May 2011 |volume=31 |issue=19 |pages=7043–7048 |doi=10.1523/JNEUROSCI.6058-10.2011 |pmid=21562266 |pmc=3123903 |url=https://www.jneurosci.org/content/31/19/7043 |access-date=2 May 2023 |language=en |issn=0270-6474}}</ref><ref name="Marzo">{{cite book |last1=Marzo |first1=Vincenzo Di |title=Cannabinoids |date=29 June 2004 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-0-306-48228-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t7PdDg1nrOgC&pg=PA99 |language=en}}</ref> In 2006, Mechoulam's group identified another endocannabinoid, arachidonoyl L-serine. It is not related to the known cannabinoid receptors, but is probably an endogenous ligand of a novel cannabinoid receptor, which causes vasodilation.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Guo |first1=Juan |last2=Williams |first2=Damian J. |last3=Ikeda |first3=Stephen R. |title=N -Arachidonoyl l -Serine, a Putative Endocannabinoid, Alters the Activation of N-Type Ca 2+ Channels in Sympathetic Neurons |journal=Journal of Neurophysiology |date=August 2008 |volume=100 |issue=2 |pages=1147–1151 |doi=10.1152/jn.01204.2007|pmid=18234973 |pmc=2652135 }}</ref>
In 1998, Mechoulam and Ben-Shabat posited the “entourage effect”, the idea that a variety of metabolites working together can result in increased activity compared to individual endogenous cannabinoids.<ref name="Russo">{{cite journal |last1=Russo |first1=Ethan B. |title=The Case for the Entourage Effect and Conventional Breeding of Clinical Cannabis: No "Strain," No Gain |journal=Frontiers in Plant Science |date=2019 |volume=9 |article-number=1969 |doi=10.3389/fpls.2018.01969 |pmid=30687364 |pmc=6334252 |bibcode=2019FrPS....9.1969R |issn=1664-462X |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="Ferber">{{cite journal |last1=Ferber |first1=SG |last2=Namdar |first2=D |last3=Hen-Shoval |first3=D |last4=Eger |first4=G |last5=Koltai |first5=H |last6=Shoval |first6=G |last7=Shbiro |first7=L |last8=Weller |first8=A |title=The "Entourage Effect": Terpenes Coupled with Cannabinoids for the Treatment of Mood Disorders and Anxiety Disorders. |journal=Current Neuropharmacology |date=2020 |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=87–96 |doi=10.2174/1570159X17666190903103923 |pmid=31481004|pmc=7324885 }}</ref>
The endocannabinoid system is a relatively newly discovered neurotransmission system, which influences a variety of functions and systems in the human body. The discovery of the endocannabinoid system and the study of its functions in the body has helped to open a new field in biochemistry and brain research. The research in Mechoulam's laboratory, in collaboration with other groups in Israel and abroad, has helped to clarify the importance of the plant's cannabinoids and endocannabinoids in many physiological processes and has furthered research into their possible use in the treatment of pathological conditions.<ref name="Harvey"/><ref name="Alger"/><ref name="Zou">{{cite journal |last1=Zou |first1=S |last2=Kumar |first2=U |title=Cannabinoid Receptors and the Endocannabinoid System: Signaling and Function in the Central Nervous System. |journal=International Journal of Molecular Sciences |date=13 March 2018 |volume=19 |issue=3 |page=833 |doi=10.3390/ijms19030833 |pmid=29533978 |pmc=5877694 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="Ferber"/>
Mechoulam published more than 425 scientific articles.<ref>{{cite web |title=User profiles for author:Raphael author:Mechoulam |url=https://scholar.google.com/scholar?as_q=&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&as_occt=any&as_sauthors=Raphael%20Mechoulam&as_publication=&as_ylo=&as_yhi=&hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5 |website=Google Scholar |access-date=2 May 2023}}</ref> He is listed as a co-founder of the company 180 life sciences.<ref>{{cite news |last1=DelMonico |first1=Kim |title=New Drug Family Targets Dupuytren's, Frozen Shoulder {{!}} Orthopedics This Week |url=https://ryortho.com/2021/06/new-drug-family-targets-dupuytrens-frozen-shoulder/ |access-date=2 May 2023 |work=RRY Publications |date=June 28, 2021}}</ref> In 2020, he appeared in the documentary [[CBD Nation]], discussing the medical value of cannabis.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CBD Nation |url=https://cbdnationfilm.com/ |access-date=2026-03-29 |website=CBD Nation the Film |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Honours and awards== * 2019–2020: [[Harvey Prize]] of the [[Technion – Israel Institute of Technology|Technion]]<ref name="Harvey"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Technion Harvey Prize Honors Pioneers in Chemical Engineering and Medical Sciences |url=https://www.newswise.com/articles/technion-harvey-prize-honors-pioneers-in-chemical-engineering-and-medical-sciences |website=www.newswise.com |access-date=3 May 2023 |language=en}}</ref> * 2019: Doctor of Philosophy, ''Honoris causa'', [[Weizmann Institute of Science]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Ph.D. Honoris Causa {{!}} Academic Affairs Office |url=https://www.weizmann.ac.il/acadaff/awards-and-honors/institute-honors-and-prizes/phd-honoris-causa |website=Weizmann Institute of Science |date=July 2015 |access-date=4 May 2023 |language=en}}</ref> * 2014: IACM Special Award, [[International Association for Cannabinoid Medicines]] (IACM)<ref>{{cite web |title=Raphael Mechoulam |url=https://cannabis-med.org/humans/raphael-mechoulam |website=International Alliance for Cannabinoid Medicines |access-date=4 May 2023 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Grotenhermen"/> * 2012: Rothschild Prize in Chemical Sciences and Physical Sciences,<ref>{{cite web |title=The Rothschild Prize |url=https://www.yadhanadiv.org.il/rothschild-prize |website=Yad Hanadiv |access-date=4 May 2023 |quote= Search for MECHOULAM }}</ref> * 2012: [[The EMET Prize for Art, Science and Culture|EMET Prize]] in Exact Sciences—Chemistry<ref name="AFHU"/><ref>{{Cite encyclopedia | author-first=Michael |author-last= Denman | title=MECHOULAM, RAPHAEL | encyclopedia=[[Encyclopaedia Judaica]] | edition=2nd | volume=13 | year=2007 | publisher=Thomson Gale | pages=711–712}}</ref> * 2011: [[National Institute on Drug Abuse|NIDA]] Discovery Award * 2006: [[European College of Neuropsychopharmacology|ECNP]] Lifetime Achievement Award in Neuropsychopharmacology * 2006: Degree ''Honoris causa'', [[Complutense University of Madrid]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Raphael Mechoulam Faculty of Medicine |url=https://www.ucm.es/english/raphael-mechoulam |website=Complutense University of Madrid |access-date=4 May 2023}}</ref> * 2003–2005: Chairman of the Board, [[International Association for Cannabinoid Medicines]] (IACM)<ref name="Grotenhermen">{{cite journal |last1=Grotenhermen |first1=F |last2=Müller-Vahl |first2=KR |title=Two Decades of the International Association for Cannabinoid Medicines: 20 Years of Supporting Research and Activities Toward the Medicinal Use of Cannabis and Cannabinoids. |journal=Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research |date=April 2021 |volume=6 |issue=2 |pages=82–87 |doi=10.1089/can.2020.0044 |pmid=33912675|pmc=8064956 }}</ref> * 2002: Honorary Member of the [[Israel Society for Physiology and Pharmacology]] * 2001: [[Honorary doctorate]] from [[Ohio State University]]<ref name="Wingard">{{cite news |last1=Wingard |first1=Shannon |title=Six honored at SU commencement |url=https://news.osu.edu/six-honored-at-su-commencement/ |access-date=3 May 2023 |work=Ohio State News |date=August 21, 2001 |language=en-us}}</ref> * 2000: [[Israel Prize]] in Exact Sciences - Chemistry<ref name="Harvey"/> * 1999–2002: President, [[International Cannabinoid Research Society]] (ICRS)<ref name="INN2023"/> * 1994: Member of the [[Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities]]<ref name="AFHU"/><ref name="CV"/>
== See also == * {{annotated link|Cannabis in Israel}}
==Notes== {{notelist}}
== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}
==External links== * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwfC5ye2UBk ''The Scientist'']—A documentary about the life and work of Raphael Mechoulam
{{Cannabis in Israel}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mechoulam, Raphael}} [[Category:1930 births]] [[Category:2023 deaths]] [[Category:Academic staff of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem]] [[Category:Bulgarian emigrants to Israel]] [[Category:Bulgarian Jews in Israel]] [[Category:Cannabis in Israel]] [[Category:Cannabis researchers]] [[Category:HU cannabinoids]] [[Category:Israel Prize in chemistry recipients]] [[Category:Israeli chemists]] [[Category:Israeli people of Bulgarian-Jewish descent]] [[Category:Members of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities]] [[Category:Members of the Israel Society for Physiology and Pharmacology]] [[Category:Scientists from Sofia]] [[Category:Burials at Har HaMenuchot]] [[Category:Weizmann Institute of Science alumni]] [[Category:EMET Prize recipients in the Life Sciences]] [[Category:Harvey Prize winners]]