Medical Cannabis Safe Access To Expand In Israel
When it comes to medical cannabis research, Israel has long served as an international leader. After all, it is where International Cannabis Business Conference speaker alumni Raphael Mechoulam became the first person in history to isolate tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), in addition to numerous other cannabis research breakthroughs.
Unfortunately, general medical cannabis policy and safe access for domestic patients have never seemed to receive the same level of embrace and consideration in Israel for some reason, with many patients reporting gaps in being able to acquire their medicine.
Israel currently serves as the top importer of medical cannabis products, which doesn’t make a lot of sense since the country obviously knows how to harness the cannabis plant and maximize its potential. The only logical explanation is that the nation’s laws are holding the domestic medical cannabis sector back.
Thankfully, there appear to be meaningful changes on the way, with it being reported that Israeli medical cannabis patients will soon no longer be required to obtain a special license for medical cannabis, per a recently approved reform measure. Per YNetNews:
The Knesset’s Health Committee decided on Tuesday that access to medical cannabis will be significantly expanded, with many more patients qualifying – without the need to obtain a special license to use the drug.
The decision is part of a reform led by the Health Ministry in recent months. Within the reform’s framework, patients with a wide range of diseases and medical conditions will no longer be required to obtain a license in order to receive medical cannabis.
The reduced hurdles for obtaining medical cannabis are surely welcomed. With that being said, medical cannabis patients in Israel still are at the mercy of whatever supply they can access. As more patients presumably enter the medical cannabis sector as a result of the change, it will need to be met with boosts in domestic supply.
As is the case with any country, the only real way to ensure that every patient has safe access to medical cannabis is to legalize it for adult use, in addition to medical cannabis policies, and to afford every patient the right to cultivate their own medicine and/or join a noncommercial cannabis club.