Israel Eases Medical Marijuana Bottleneck

The Israeli Health Ministry Sunday moved to broaden access to medical marijuana by approving five more doctors to prescribe it, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported. Until now, the ministry had authorized only one doctor, Dr. Yehuda Baruch of the Abarbanel psychiatric hospital, to prescribe it to an ever-growing number of patients.

Sunday's announcement is part of a pilot program designed to increase the number of doctors allowed to prescribe medical marijuana. If this expansion of prescribing privileges pans out, it will then be extended to doctors who are department managers in Israeli health maintenance organizations.

The number of Israelis who have been prescribed marijuana was two in 2000, 10 in 2005, 700 in the middle of last year, and may be as high as 2,000 now. A Health Ministry official estimated that, with the lessening of the prescribing bottleneck, the number could increase to 5000 by year's end and tens of thousands in the future.

Doctors are authorized to prescribe medical marijuana to patients suffering from chronic pain, including patients with fibromyalgia, cancer, HIV/AIDS, neurological disorders, multiple sclerosis, asthma and glaucoma, as well as to Israel Defense Forces veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

The broadening of prescribing privileges will also mean an increase in authorized production. Currently, only three of 14 authorized grow ops are operating, but that will probably change quickly. The medicine is provided free, but patients must pay a monthly fee of $95 to help cover growing expenses.