Israel further eases access to medical cannabis

In early June, the Health Committee of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, decided to significantly expand access to medical cannabis, allowing more patients to benefit from it, without the need for a special license to use it.

This decision is part of a reform led by the Ministry of Health. in recent months. Under this reform, patients suffering from a wide range of illnesses will no longer be required to obtain a license to receive medical cannabis. Patients will receive a prescription similar to that for other prescription medicines. The regulation will come into force within six months, once the relevant authorities have made the necessary preparations.

The regulations stipulate that from now on, people suffering from the following illnesses and medical conditions will be able to receive a cannabis prescription: epilepsy, Crohn's disease, dementia, autism (no age restrictions), oncological diseases, multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS and terminally ill patients with a life expectancy of less than six months.

These patients will no longer need a license, but will be able to receive a prescription from certain doctors who will be trained in the use of cannabis.

This is a change from current regulations, which require cancer patients with active oncological disease, or those undergoing active cancer treatment to relieve symptoms or treat side effects, to obtain a license before being prescribed medical cannabis.

Right now, approximately 100,000 patients in Israel have medical cannabis, the majority of whom suffer from illnesses, pain and post-traumatic disorders. During discussions on the regulations, patients expressed concern that these particular illnesses and conditions would not be included in the new regulations.

«This is only the first step; there are other medical conditions that require attention and treatment,» said Knesset member and committee chairman Uriel Busso.

«Our focus is on the patient's well-being and the desire to relieve pain, increase availability and access to physicians and lower prices, while addressing concerns about abuse and harmful use of the drug,» he added.