Tikun Olam

Tikun Olam is an Israeli medical-cannabis company whose name means “to heal the world.” It began in 2005 as a nonprofit initiative intended to help Israeli patients who had received authorization to use cannabis but had difficulty obtaining a reliable supply. Founder Tzahi Cohen approached Israel’s Ministry of Health to request permission to cultivate plants for approved patients without compensation. The operation initially focused on a single cannabis variety grown under governmental and police supervision, with samples assessed for their active compounds by researchers associated with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The organization developed during the formative years of Israel’s regulated medical-cannabis system. In 2010, the Ministry of Health established a clearer regulatory and payment framework for medical-marijuana cultivation and distribution. Tikun Olam subsequently became a limited company in February 2010 and moved from its original small-scale nonprofit model toward commercial cultivation, product development, patient support, and distribution. The company’s facilities in northern Israel have operated under security and regulatory controls, with cultivation and handling subject to oversight by Israeli authorities. A major point of public attention came in 2012, when Tikun Olam reported the development of a variety with unusually high cannabidiol, or CBD, content and very little tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. Because THC is the principal intoxicating compound in cannabis, the reported low-THC profile was presented as potentially useful for patients seeking therapeutic effects without a conventional cannabis high. The company’s work received extensive Israeli and international media coverage and helped associate Tikun Olam with the emerging concept of low-intoxication or “highless” medical cannabis. The company has also cultivated and evaluated multiple strains and developed preparations derived from cannabis compounds, including capsule-based products. By 2013, Tikun Olam was reported to serve approximately 3,000 patients in Israel, at a regulated monthly service cost of about 370 Israeli new shekels, and to employ roughly 50 licensed specialists, including agronomists, researchers, chemists, and personnel with botanical or medical expertise. In the same period, the company obtained standards certifications covering aspects of cultivation, production, sale, distribution, and patient care, followed by food-standard certification. By 2014, it was reported to cultivate 12 varieties, including varieties described as containing approximately 1 percent THC and 17 percent CBD. Tikun Olam also pursued international expansion. A Tikun Olam California operation opened a large indoor cultivation facility in Adelanto in 2019, extending the brand into the United States market. The company’s business remains centered on regulated medical cannabis rather than general consumer cannabis: cultivation, strain development, extraction, formulation, patient supply, and related research are its principal areas of activity. As of 2022, public reference material identified real-estate executive Barak Rosen as the owner, linking the company with Israel Canada Group. Detailed current operating, financial, and corporate information is limited in the supplied sources.

Israel began exploring regulated medical-cannabis access in the late 1990s, when the Ministry of Health considered how authorized patients could obtain cannabis for therapeutic purposes. Early arrangements included licenses for cultivation and individual permissions for patients, but distribution practices evolved as authorities and police addressed questions of control, security, and supply. In 2005, Tzahi Cohen established Tikun Olam as a nonprofit response to the limited availability of cannabis for approved patients. He sought permission to grow approximately 100 plants without compensation for people who had already been authorized to use cannabis but could not easily obtain it. The initial project concentrated on one supervised variety. Its flower was periodically examined for active-compound levels by Professor Raphael Mechoulam and associated Hebrew University research facilities. One early variety was named Erez after a patient who had died. As the number of medical-cannabis permits increased, Tikun Olam received authorization to expand cultivation. The operation moved to northern Israel, where it could increase production while improving site security. Israel’s regulatory framework changed substantially in 2010, when the Ministry of Health formalized medical-marijuana arrangements and permitted Tikun Olam to charge a monthly service fee. In February of that year, the organization converted into a limited company. The regulatory opening also allowed additional cultivators and suppliers to enter the Israeli market. The company’s best-known development emerged in 2012. Tikun Olam publicized a strain with high CBD and less than 2 percent THC, describing it as capable of delivering medical-cannabis benefits without the usual intoxicating effect. The announcement generated substantial coverage in Israel and abroad and contributed to broader interest in non-intoxicating cannabinoid products. The company continued to cultivate several varieties and to investigate extraction and formulation, including edible capsules and other preparations. Tikun Olam’s production sites have been described as operating under Ministry of Health and Israel Police supervision, with security controls and testing of cannabinoid content. In 2012 it received certification relating to cultivation, manufacturing, sale, distribution, and patient care, and in 2013 it received additional certification in food standards. Reports from 2013 described approximately 3,000 patients, around 50 licensed employees, and a monthly cost of approximately 370 Israeli new shekels. By 2014, the company was reported to grow 12 strains, including high-CBD, low-THC varieties. The brand later expanded outside Israel. Tikun Olam California opened a 5.7-hectare indoor cultivation facility in Adelanto in 2019. Public material identifies the United States as an international market, although the supplied sources do not provide a complete account of current subsidiaries, licenses, product registrations, or sales. As of 2022, Barak Rosen was identified as the company’s owner and as a principal of Israel Canada Group. Current management details and the company’s present corporate structure require further verification.

• 2019

  California indoor cultivation facility opens

  [1]Tikun Olam (cannabis)en.wikipedia.org

  Tikun Olam California opened a reported 5.7-hectare indoor cultivation facility in Adelanto.

• 2013

  Food-standard certification and reported patient growth

  [1]Tikun Olam (cannabis)en.wikipedia.org

  Tikun Olam received an additional food-standard certification and was reported to serve about 3,000 patients with a workforce of approximately 50 licensed specialists.

• 2012

  Low-THC, high-CBD strain gains international attention

  [1]Tikun Olam (cannabis)en.wikipedia.org

  Tikun Olam publicized a strain containing unusually high CBD and very low THC, positioning it as a medical product with reduced intoxicating effects.

• 2012

  Standards certification covers core operations

  [1]Tikun Olam (cannabis)en.wikipedia.org

  The company received Israeli standards recognition for areas including cultivation, production, sale, distribution, and patient care.

• 2010

  The organization becomes a limited company

  [1]Tikun Olam (cannabis)en.wikipedia.org

  Following Israel’s medical-cannabis regulatory changes, Tikun Olam converted from its nonprofit structure into a limited company and began operating within a formal fee-based framework.

• 2005

  Tikun Olam begins as a nonprofit medical-cannabis initiative

  [1]Tikun Olam (cannabis)en.wikipedia.org

  Founder Tzahi Cohen sought authorization to cultivate cannabis for Israeli patients who had medical approval but limited access to supply.

A regulated medical-cannabis specialist emphasizing cultivation expertise, cannabinoid formulation, patient access, and products designed to provide therapeutic use with reduced intoxication.

• Medical cannabis · 2005

  Medical cannabis flower

  Dried cannabis inflorescence cultivated for authorized medical patients. Tikun Olam’s production has involved multiple varieties with different cannabinoid compositions, and its flower has been subject to testing and regulatory oversight in Israel.

• Cannabis strains · 2012

  High-CBD, low-THC strains

  Strains developed to emphasize cannabidiol while minimizing tetrahydrocannabinol. The company’s 2012 announcement described a variety with less than 2 percent THC, intended to provide medical use with less conventional cannabis intoxication.

• Cannabis formulations

  Cannabis extracts and capsules

  Products made by extracting active cannabis compounds and incorporating them into formulations such as edible capsules. These products reflect the company’s focus on translating cultivated plant material into standardized medical preparations.

• 2019

  Expand cultivation into CaliforniaStrategy

  Background

  The company pursued an international cultivation footprint beyond its Israeli operations.

  Action taken

  Tikun Olam California opened a reported 5.7-hectare indoor facility in Adelanto.

  Aftermath

  The facility established a larger United States production presence, although the supplied sources do not document its current operating status.

  Source

• 2012

  Introduce a low-intoxication medical-cannabis strainProduct launch

  Background

  The company sought to develop medical cannabis with meaningful CBD content and substantially reduced THC.

  Action taken

  Tikun Olam publicized a strain reported to contain less than 2 percent THC and a high proportion of CBD.

  Aftermath

  The development received broad international media attention and strengthened the company’s association with low-THC medical cannabis.

  Source

• 2010

  Convert from nonprofit to limited-company structureStrategy

  Background

  Israel introduced a more formal regulatory and payment framework for medical cannabis.

  Action taken

  Tikun Olam became a limited company and operated within a regulated monthly service-fee model.

  Aftermath

  The change supported expansion of cultivation, patient services, and participation in an opening Israeli market.

  Monthly patient service fee. 360 Israeli new shekels initially; approximately 370 Israeli new shekels reported in 2013 (2010-2013)

  Source

• 2005

  Create a nonprofit supply channel for authorized patientsStrategy

  Background

  Israeli patients with permission to use medical cannabis reportedly had difficulty obtaining a dependable supply.

  Action taken

  Tzahi Cohen approached the Ministry of Health and established a supervised cultivation initiative intended to supply patients without compensation.

  Aftermath

  The initiative became the foundation for Tikun Olam’s later regulated cultivation and commercial operations.

  Source

1. 1Tikun Olam (cannabis)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2Tikun Olam official websitetikun-olam.org.il