Israeli scientists began their pioneering research to isolate the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana with a 10-pound stash seized by the Tel Aviv police. That effort, in the 1960s, helped propel Israel to the vanguard of research into the plant's medicinal properties and lay the foundations for a medical marijuana industry.

Now the nation's burgeoning pot business, backed by an unlikely coalition of farmers, lawyers, scientists, entrepreneurs and the country's ultraorthodox health minister, is going mainstream – and eyeing markets abroad.

Marijuana, or cannabis, is still classified as a dangerous drug in Israel and remains illegal for recreational purposes. But the government is also at the forefront of efforts to develop and expand the fast-growing medical marijuana industry and make Israel a major centre for it.

Recent government efforts to regulate medical marijuana will make it more accessible and available by prescription at pharmacies. The government has also appointed a committee to examine the possibility of Israel becoming one of the few countries to allow exports, although the destination for products remains unclear.

The Volcani Centre, the Agriculture Ministry's research organisation, is building a national institute for medical marijuana research. The chief scientist's office of the Economy Ministry has infused millions of shekels into innovative marijuana companies, much as government investment helped fuel the Israeli tech boom in the 1990s. The government is also setting standards for the cultivation, storage and use of medical marijuana.

The reforms spearheaded by the Health Ministry, which is led by Yaakov Litzman of the ultraorthodox United Torah Judaism Party, open up licensing for an unlimited number of growers, up from eight farms. The list of doctors trained and authorised to prescribe marijuana is to be expanded and research encouraged. The reforms, which were approved by the government in the northern hemisphere summer, were formulated in co-operation with the ministries of Agriculture, Justice, Internal Security and Finance.

About 25,000 Israelis, in a population of 8.5 million, hold permits to use medical marijuana to ease symptoms of cancer, epilepsy and other diseases, but that number is expected to grow rapidly. Medical marijuana has been distributed by the growers through special dispensaries or by home delivery.

The New York Times