Israel turns the page on smoked medical cannabis

A special committee of the Israeli Ministry of Health recommends phasing out the use and sale of medical cannabis for smoking in Israel within three years, according to several Hebrew-language media outlets. Instead, health authorities are considering switching to alternative forms such as extracts or precision inhalation devices, deemed easier to control and potentially less harmful.

This proposal marks a major turning point in a country that is often cited as a leader in its field. world leader in medical cannabis, This is true both for its medical supervision and for the scale of its consumption.

Health concerns and imprecise dosage

At the heart of this recommendation is a simple observation: the consumption of medical cannabis by combustion is associated with health risks, and makes standardization of cannabinoid absorption extremely difficult. The committee believes that smoke inhalation, combined with significant variations in dosage from one patient to the next, is hardly compatible with a rigorous therapeutic framework.

The solutions envisaged meet a dual objective: to limit the respiratory impact of smoke, and to guarantee more reliable delivery of active ingredients. Precision extracts and inhalers are presented as alternatives capable of offering better control of the quantities delivered, in an approach closer to pharmaceutical requirements.

This approach is reminiscent of the choices made in France, where health authorities have also excluded smoked forms from the medical framework. allowing access to cannabis flowers via spray shapes.

The committee also highlights the dramatic increase in the number of patients licensed to use medical cannabis. According to its estimates, the number of licensees has risen from 33,000 in 2019 to 140,000 in 2025. This increase is particularly marked among men and those under 45, fuelling the authorities' concerns about the mass medicalization of cannabis in a country where per capita therapeutic consumption is already among the highest in the world.

This dynamic raises a fundamental question: is Israel moving away from a strictly supervised medical program towards a form of gradual normalization of cannabis, particularly among a relatively young population?

PTSD in the spotlight: effectiveness disputed, risks cited

The committee also examined the use of cannabis in the PTSD management (post-traumatic stress disorder), one of the most frequent reasons for prescription in Israel, particularly in a country marked by prolonged conflict.

According to the relayed conclusions, while the deleterious effects associated with prolonged consumption are considered established, the therapeutic benefits for PTSD patients would not be sufficiently supported by available studies. Another concern highlighted by the committee is that long-term use could impair patients' ability to return to normal day-to-day functioning.

In this context, the report recommends restricting the use of cannabis to situations of severe distress, such as insomnia or flashbacks, and only as an adjunct to psychotherapy, whose effectiveness is recognized.

Towards enhanced monitoring and integration into the healthcare system

Another planned development is to transfer the distribution of medical cannabis to Israeli health insurance companies within a year or so. The stated aim is to reinforce continuity of care and guarantee the prescribing physician full access to the patient's medical file, in order to provide a better framework for therapeutic follow-up.

The commission also recommends stricter prescription rules. Prescription renewals beyond six months should be subject to a mandatory consultation with the prescribing practitioner.

If implemented, these measures could profoundly transform the Israeli model, bringing it closer to a stricter pharmaceutical logic, to the detriment of a relatively flexible access that had become in recent years.