Could it be that lobbyists from large pharmaceutical companies are putting pressure on the government to prevent the Israeli medical cannabis market from taking off?

Israel’s attitude toward medical cannabis is schizophrenic.

On one hand, it is probably the most developed nation in the world when it comes to innovation in the field. Israel, one of the few countries where it is completely legal to engage in clinical research, has develop new and innovative ways to deliver the medicinal substance in cannabis. Inhalers, creams, pills and oils make it easier for people who need cannabis to administer it. And researchers have perfected measurement of dosages so that the patient receives the exact amount he or she needs, and is not dependent on fluctuating qualities.

AN EMPLOYEE checks on cannabis plants at a medical-marijuana plantation in the North last year.. (photo credit: NIR ELIAS / REUTERS)

In April, the government will also become one of the few, if not the first, government to sponsor a conference that deals with uses of medicinal cannabis. Israel has also taken steps toward decriminalization. And more than 30,000 Israeli patients now receive cannabis through the health funds for medicinal use.

On the other hand, bureaucracy within the Health Ministry has forced tens of thousands of additional patients suffering from a wide range of ailments that can be treated with medicinal cannabis to wait more than a year to receive what they need. In the meantime, they are forced to take conventional drugs such as opioids and steroids, which are addictive and dangerous.

And the government is also dragging its feet with regard to export of medicinal cannabis, a multi-billion-shekel market that could generate thousands of jobs and millions of shekels in tax revenue.

Dozens of firms have received permits to set up farms to grow medicinal cannabis, and a sweeping reform was instituted to regulate the growing and marketing of the substance. Since the permits were issued last year, tens of millions of dollars have been invested by both local and international firms to prepare for growing and marketing cannabis for medicinal use. The Agriculture Ministry declared medicinal cannabis to be a legitimate industry, which opens up forms of government aid to growers.

But until the government approves export ...