Yohai Gild, pioneer of cannabis cultivation, arrested in Thailand
Gild, one of the pioneers of cannabis cultivation in Israel, and founder of Better Cannabis, has been arrested in Thailand allegedly on suspicion of dealing different types of illicit drugs.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFAn employee inspects the leaf of a cannabis plant at a medical marijuana plantation in northern Israel.(photo credit: NIR ELIAS / REUTERS)
Yohai Gild, one of the pioneers of cannabis cultivation in Israel and founder of Better Cannabis, has been arrested in Thailand on suspicion of dealing different types of illicit drugs at parties on the Thai island of Ko Pha Ngan.He was later released on bail. Gild was also arrested with other Israelis in Thailand for being involved in the sale of cocaine, ketamine, cannabis and other drugs, in addition to attempting to bribe Thai police.Better Cannabis was founded in 2008 by Gild after his studies of cannabis cultivation in the United States, and was one of the most successful in the then-young medical cannabis market in Israel, when only eight companies had licenses to sell directly to users. The company has since thrived in the market.The company noted in a statement that "Yohai is a private individual and has had no executive or management role in the company for several years. The controlling stake in the company is held by Yohai Gild's mother, and he has nothing whatsoever to do with the company or with the deal being put together with the Thai investor. We wish Yohai well, and hope that the matter will prove to have been a mistake."
