It’s not only ahead of the upcoming elections to the Knesset that former IDF commanders are joining forces. They are also building alliances in medical cannabis, just as the Israeli export market opens up.
Chaired by former prime minister and chief of staff Ehud Barak, Israeli therapeutic holding company InterCure (Canndoc Pharma), announced on Thursday the appointment of Maj.-Gen. (res.) Nitzan Alon as the new chief executive of medical cannabis subsidiary Canndoc.
Alon, aged 54, was appointed as the IDF’s project director for Iran issues in July 2018 by then-chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot to deal with Iran’s nuclear program, coordinating intelligence gathering with other countries and countering Iran’s presence in Syria.
He previously served as head of the IDF Operations Directorate for three years, head of the Central Command and commander of elite commando unit Sayeret Matkal.
“The changes at the management level of Canndoc indicate the emphasis that [InterCure] and Canndoc are placing on expanding the production and marketing of the company,” said Barak. “This is with the intention of establishing itself as a leading company in the field of medical cannabis in Israel and around the world, and the readiness of Canndoc to issue securities on the Nasdaq Stock Market.”
Following the government’s approval for the exports of medical cannabis in January 2019, InterCure announced that it would be accelerating the production capacity of Canndoc to approximately 100 tons of medical cannabis per year.
The company’s global expansion strategy targets operations in 10 territories across the world, including in the European Union and Canada. It currently has an IMC-GMP grade supply of more than one ton of medical cannabis products for both patients and export.
By joining Canndoc, Alon joins a growing list of former public officials taking senior positions in Israel’s growing and profitable medical cannabis industry.
Earlier this month, former Israel Police chief Yohanan Danino joined the medical cannabis market when he was appointed by Together Pharma as the company’s new chairman.
Israeli media revealed last month that former health minister Dan Naveh has also been involved in the medical cannabis industry.
The former Likud Knesset member has reportedly served for five years as the inactive chairman of Tel Aviv-headquartered Better, currently merging with Tel Aviv Stock Exchange-traded shell company WhiteSmoke.