Israel’s Ministry of Health data shows that a month after the Israel-Hamas war, the medical marijuana program has expanded dramatically in Israel. Patients with PTSD, pain and other conditions have seen a spike in enrollments. Doctors are prescribing more cannabis than ever.
According to newly released government statistics, the number of patients enrolled in Israel’s medical marijuana registry increased by 2,202 in October. This is roughly twice the average monthly growth, but it’s still not as rapid as the early 2021 period, when almost 3,000 patients registered each month.
Israeli Ministry of Health allows patients to enroll as medical marijuana patients
Israel has more medical cannabis patients registered than ever before. With more patients enrolled, the amount of marijuana prescribed has also increased. According to the country’s medical marijuana rules, a patient is only allowed to purchase a specific amount of products. , a local Israeli cannabis publication, reported that the total weight of these products in October was 5,173 kg. This is not only a record, but it’s also the biggest monthly increase in the history of the system. The data also revealed an increase in patients who were prescribed high doses.
The local report stated that the increase in enrollment by qualifying condition reflects a rise in violence and stressors associated with wartime. Data show that for the first increase in marijuana prescriptions in over a year, the majority of them are for “post-trauma,” also known as PTSD. Chronic pain remained the leading condition among marijuana patients. Nearly three-quarters of all new patients enrolled in the program were suffering from chronic pain. Another 400 patients enrolled in October for “other” unspecified conditions.
The news report states that “it’s possible that those who received licenses marked “other” this month were victims of war.” “I recall that immediately following the events in South, doctors started to issue licenses to post-trauma victims and residents of the southern region, but the Ministry of Health soon instructed doctors to stop doing that, so it’s possible that some of these doctors specified a “different label.”
According to the most recent government statistics, just under half (45%) of Israeli medical cannabis patients are between 21 and 45 years old. A third of the patients (34%) were between 46 and 65 years old, while 18% were over 65. Patients under the age of 20 were mostly children with autism or epilepsy.
Cannabis (in kilograms), based on the types of patient licenses, according to the Israeli Ministry of Health
BYND cannasoft enterprises, an Israeli cannabis software company, has released a release on the increase in medical marijuana use since the Gaza attack and the violence that followed. They claim many cannabis patients are victims of war.
“Israel is a tiny country and we are all directly affected, whether personally or via our families and loved ones,” said Yftah Benjamin Yaackov. She is the CEO and Director of the company. In Israel, cannabis and pharmaceuticals are critical infrastructure sectors. I am proud of how our team has come together to overcome this horrible situation.
Israel responded to the fears of some medical cannabis patients that they might run out marijuana almost immediately after the October 7 Hamas attack. On the same day, the Ministry of Health issued a notice that those patients whose medical cannabis licenses were expiring or would in the coming month be given a three-month renewal.
A pending change may lead to more medical marijuana prescriptions. reports that starting next month, any doctor can write a medical cannabis prescription for patients. Patients must currently apply for a special licence, either through a cannabis-certified doctor, or the Ministry of Health.
Medical cannabis isn’t just used in Israel to treat trauma and pain.
In Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky has requested the legalization medical marijuana in order to assist people who are suffering from the “pain and stress of war.”
In June, he stated that “we must finally and fairly legalize cannabis based medicines for those who need them, with appropriate scientific research, controlled Ukrainian production.”
A committee of Ukrainian legislators approved legislation last month to legalize medical marijuana. The measure was then sent to the full Parliament. Zelensky would sign it if the bill was approved.
Zelensky previously expressed support for legalizing medical cannabis during his presidential campaigns. He said in 2019, that it would be “normal,” to allow people access to cannabis “droplets”, which was interpreted to refer to marijuana tinctures.
This policy change will put Ukraine in stark contrast with its longtime aggressor Russia. Russia has taken a particularly strong position against the reformation of cannabis policy on an international level via the United Nations. The country has also condemned Canada’s decision to legalize marijuana across the board.
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Photo by Philip Steffan.
The post Medical Marijuana prescriptions in Israel are on the rise as patients seek relief from PTSD and pain, according to government officials.
