Israel: general practitioners will be able to prescribe cannabis

In six months, Israel could allow general practitioners to prescribe cannabis, Health Minister Yaakov Litzman announced yesterday.

Litzman heads the reform of medical cannabis laws which, among other things, seeks to delegate the authority to prescribe cannabis—currently held by a centralized unit—to the country’s 23,000 doctors, a decision that would drastically improve access to medical cannabis.

«If the reform, expected in the coming weeks, proceeds smoothly, I will allow practicing physicians to prescribe cannabis to their patients, in accordance with the Ministry of Health’s regulations,» Litzman said during a session of the Knesset Health Committee.

«Patients should be able to receive cannabis in a dignified manner, without having to wait or search for a source» because of the Ministry of Health’s bureaucracy, the minister added.

Litzman denies that this change will transform the medical marijuana as a recreational drug in Israel, and insists that the Ministry will not authorize the’Export of cannabis produced in Israel in other countries. It will also put an end to the distribution of cannabis by growers.

«I want to emphasize that we will implement strict oversight of this issue, and we will ensure that only those who need cannabis have access to it,» he told lawmakers.

Litzman noted some High rates of cannabis use in Israel with some 23,000 known medical cannabis users, and suggests that this reform is likely to curb its use.

A Reform That Has Been Criticized

Currently, only 8 farms are authorized to grow medical cannabis. The new reform would give the Israeli government control over the entire production and distribution chain for medical cannabis.

Patients will also no longer be able to choose the specific strain they currently use, but will instead be limited to a group of three cannabinoids (THC, CBD and CBN), ignoring the dozens of others cannabinoids and terpenes, which are also important for their «entourage effect»—the way they interact with the plant’s other components.