Israel: patients approve the use of medical cannabis

More and more people around the world are treating themselves with medicinal cannabis. While Europe is still trying to decide which way to go, Israel is taking the lead. cutting-edge technology and cannabic research. 90% of patients treated in this country approve of the beneficial effects of medical cannabis on their symptoms. In Israel, nearly 22,000 patients receive medical cannabis treatment.

Wednesday, May 25, 2016, at the 6^ème  Jerusalem conference on health measures. Professor Pesach Shvartzman Ben-Gurion University unveils the results of its study on the efficacy of treatments for 1,500 medicinal cannabis patients. To do this, he first took into account the socio-economic situation of each patient, then studied the treatments prescribed before cannabis.

Professor Shvartzman contacted them during the first 3 months of treatment, then every 4 months for 2 years. 99.6 % of them were initially treated with conventional drugs before turning to medical cannabis. More than half of them admit to wanting to take cannabis for its psychoactive effects, to feel better and lighter.

80% of patients prefer to smoke their cannabis rather than ingest it in oil form or vaporize it. The drug's side effects affect 77 % of them, most of the symptoms being the classics of smoking: 60 % say they have a severe pasty mouth and a bloody foncedalle, 45 % of them feel high and 1/3 see their eyes redden after taking the treatment. 23 % of patients also admit to feeling sleepy after treatment.

240 patients stopped treatment within the first few months, either because of the psychoactive and side effects, or because of the ineffectiveness of the treatment. However, says the professor: «Cancer patients report that they have regained their appetite and have less nausea. However, there are negative effects, such as cases of severe psychosis »

In the United States, 25 states have already legalized the use of medical cannabis. Europe doesn't know which way to turn: states like Germany or Italy are making slow progress, while France categorically refuses to allow the use of medicinal herbs. The government authorized Sativex to treat multiple sclerosis in 2014, but the drug is still not available on pharmacy shelves.