Health Ministry panel advises halt to use of medical cannabis for smoking, backs alternatives

The Health Ministry’s special committee on medical cannabis recommended on Sunday that Israel stop the use and marketing of medical cannabis for smoking within three years, according to Hebrew news outlets.

The plan will replace smoking with extracts or precision inhalers, due to health risks and inconsistent absorption.

The committee, led by Dr. Gilad Bodenheimer, head of the ministry’s mental health division, says the number of medical cannabis license holders jumped from 33,000 in 2019 to 140,000 in 2025, with a marked increase among men and people under the age of 45. Israel has one of the highest rates of medical cannabis consumption per capita in the world.

The committee said that while long-term damage caused by cannabis is proven, the benefit for PTSD sufferers is not sufficiently proven in studies, and it expressed concern about the ability of patients to return to regular functioning.

The committee recommends using cannabis only in severe distress situations, such as insomnia or flashbacks, and only as an accompaniment to proven psychotherapy. Also, the committee recommends transferring dispensing of medical cannabis to the health insurance funds within about a year, to ensure continuity of treatment and to allow the treating physician full access to a patient’s medical history.

Renewal of prescriptions beyond six months will be subject to a meeting with the prescribing physician.