JERUSALEM (JTA) — Medical marijuana will be available at pharmacies and more doctors will be able to prescribe it to their patients, Israel’s deputy health minister announced.
The new rules require the approval of the Supreme Court before they can go into effect, Yakov Litzman told the Knesset Committee on Drug Abuse on Monday.
“Even today there are pharmacies that give all kinds of other medications like drugs and morphine,” Litzman said, adding that he plans to make the ability to receive the medical marijuana “standard.”
The Supreme Court must clear the way for the Health Ministry to issue tenders for farmers wanting to grow cannabis.
Under the current rules, patients get their medical marijuana directly from growers.
Some 22,000 Israelis are eligible for medical marijuana, though there is a long waiting list for approval and the number is expected to increase.
