With a growing number of western countries either decriminalizing cannabis or legalizing it for sale purposes, startup firms have been laying the groundwork for when and if the green plant will become accessible to larger parts of the world’s population.
Despite the fact that many companies worldwide specialize in developing medical and recreational cannabis, information on the mostly-interdicted plant is largely scant to the general public.
One Israeli startup, The Cannigma, an online publisher, strives to narrow the gaps in knowledge for experts and everyday customers alike.
“Cannabis was illegal for most of the past century — and still is in many places,” the company’s head of content strategy, Matan Weil, told i24NEWS.
“This stands in stark contrast to consumer products like pharmaceuticals and alcoholic beverages. As a result, cannabis regulation and research are underdeveloped — in other words, we don’t know as much about cannabis as we should. So cannabis consumers are ill-informed, and healthcare professionals are limited in the support they can provide.”
The Cannigma, launched in October 2019 and situated in Israel’s central city of Herzliya, produces articles, videos, infographics, webinars and a bi-weekly podcast — The Cannabis Enigma — on the most up-to-date scientific literature on cannabis.
All of the startup’s content is reviewed by a scientific contributor such as physicians, pharmacists, biochemists and biotechnologists, Weil stipulated, which “is especially important given the shadow of misinformation and misconception that has hung over the cannabis industry for decades.”