Israel: Ministry of Health announces easier access to medical cannabis

On Thursday July 5, the Israeli Ministry of Health announced measures to facilitate access to medical cannabis. Deputy Health Minister Ya'acov Litzman reiterated his commitment to «reducing patient suffering».

Cheaper medical cannabis

In a statement, the Minister indicated that 'a large proportion of patients will pay less than they currently do under the old system». Indeed, for certain cancer patients, the Minister plans a fixed price of 500 Shekel (around 125 euros), without taking into account the quantity used by these patients. The Ministry also intends to freeze the price of medical visits, which are required to obtain a prescription in order to benefit from therapeutic cannabis (this measure requires the approval of the Ministries of Finance and Economy). The high cost of these medical visits is often an obstacle to obtaining cannabis-based medicines. It will also now be possible for patients to »split« their prescriptions, i.e. to buy with the same prescription in several different pharmacies.

However, some patients doubt the effectiveness of this new system. Harry Rubinstein, who uses cannabis to relieve pain from ankylosing spondylitis, said the government should subsidize medical cannabis like any other medicine. His own expenses are around 175 euros a month.

On the subject of the new possibility of «splitting» prescriptions, and while he welcomes the initiative, there are, in his view, «more pressing problems», such as the fact that patients have to «go to a pharmacy. If they don't have one, they call another pharmacy. By the time they get there, it's all over». These supply problems force already suffering patients to travel to obtain therapeutic cannabis.

The ministry said the change would be made «step by step», and with the well-being of patients at heart. Medical cannabis can be sold in Israeli pharmacies since May 2019.