Cannabis
Israel To Greatly Expand Access To Medical Cannabis
More supply, combined with the extra doctors available to prescribe it, could drastically cut down on the time patients need to wait before accessing the drug.
Medical cannabis owes much to Israel. It was Hebrew University chemist Raphael Mechoulam and his research partners who first identified THC and the human body’s endocannabinoid system, and the Israeli Defense Forces began using cannabis to treat soldiers with shell shock – also known as PTSD – in 2004.
But thus far, the 23,000 citizens of Israel who have access to medical marijuana are allowed the drug via the recommendation of only 36 doctors – not enough to make cannabis available to those who may need it.
Recognizing this, Israeli health officials announced that 100 more doctors would be authorized to issue licenses and prescriptions allowing patients to use cannabis, Haaretz reported.
Most doctors who currently prescribe medical marijuana in Israel are oncologists, according to reports. Allowing other doctors to prescribe cannabis would allow patients suffering from other ailments to acquire and use medical marijuana, chief among them chronic pain, brain ailments, and ailments associated with aging.
Israel could soon become the worldwide mecca for medical marijuana use, ahead of even the United States. Earlier in the summer, health officials recommended removing most of the restrictions on growing medical marijuana.
What do you think? Should more people have access to cannabis?
