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According to data from the Ministry of Health, about 120,000 Israelis are currently being treated with medical cannabis for various reasons, such as pain, anxiety and post-trauma, but only a small portion are eligible for subsidies from the state.
According to Cannabis magazine, only 8,428 patients, defined as IDF disabled, victims of hostilities, and work casualties, receive subsidies from the state in the amount of approximately NIS 90 million per year, this is compared to many other countries in the world that subsidize medical cannabis in the hundreds of millions of dollars for the vast majority of treated in the plant.
In the same magazine report, it was found that work victims receive the highest subsidy with an average annual reimbursement of 10,880 NIS per patient per year, while IDF disabled received an average of 10,057 NIS and victims of hostilities 8,327 NIS.
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Why do the rest of the patients with medical cannabis not receive subsidies from the state and can the plant replace other drugs?
Narkis Tessler, Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at the "Madukan" Group, spoke on the SEVEN podcast on Tel Aviv Radio with Dr. Ilya Reznik, a neuropsychiatrist, an expert in the field of brain injury and the treatment of neuropsychiatric diseases, the Center of the Association for the Research and Treatment of Cannabis and a board member of the International Association for cannabinoid drugs.
Medical cannabis (Photo: ShutterStock)
To what extent can medical cannabis help patients with post-traumatic stress disorder?
"The fact that the Ministry of Health only recognizes post-trauma as the only recognized indication in the field of psychiatry shows how much it does not perceive the possibilities of this plant to have a positive effect on various patients with anxiety, stress and tension disorders," explains Dr. Reznik. "Therefore, this single indication is limiting us from adapting this excellent material to people with various problems such as affective or anxiety disorders.
In the past, the Ministry of Health allowed the granting of cannabis licenses to those who suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder or depression, but today, in the psychiatric field, only those who suffer from post-trauma, autism or dementia receive a license." How can cannabis help with these indications
?
"This is a wonderful plant that you need to know how to use," adds Dr. Reznik. "Patients who have consumed cannabis even before coming to us know if cannabis is beneficial to them.
On the other hand, for those who have never consumed cannabis, we know how to make the right match.
With these patients we follow the classic saying, start low go slow.
Most patients find the right type of cannabis and the right dose for them within a month or two, and if a patient hasn't found the right strain after three months, something is wrong."
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How essential is the accompaniment of a professional?
Dr. Reznik noted: "Professionals know the patients, the history, the additional treatments that person receives, and the closer the supervision, the better the results.
The patient is not left alone with his questions and always has somewhere to turn.
The accompaniment, guidance and guidance are very important, especially at the beginning of the treatment."
Can the side effects of cannabis be compared to other drugs?
"I'm in favor of combinations," explains Dr. Reznik.
"Most of my patients who suffer from post-traumatic stress receive both conventional treatment and cannabis treatment, certainly at the beginning. If a patient has taken a certain drug for a long time, we check how cannabis can be integrated into this puzzle."
Apart from Dr. Reznik, Narkis Tesler also spoke with Dr. Oved Cohen, a pain trustee and authorized to issue cannabis licenses, about matching the type of cannabis to the type of pain and checked whether the use of medical cannabis replaces pain medications.
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How much can cannabis help reduce pain?
"Cannabis has been found to be very effective in treating pain," explained Dr. Cohen. "There are several types of pain and with your permission I would like to refer to the two main types - the inflammatory pain and the nerve pain.
First, I would like to point out that a large number of patients who suffer from chronic pain, experience both types of pain, greatly benefit from the treatment with medical cannabis, as it relieves the symptoms dramatically.
The first pain, the neuralgia, is characterized by pain at the ends of the limbs.
Diabetics suffer from this type of pain for example.
It is a chronic pain, which causes a lot of suffering.
Cannabis is rich in THC, which mainly acts on the nervous tissue and the brain, helps in the treatment of this type of pain.
It has several essential medicinal properties - it suppresses inflammation, relieves pain, helps with sleep, improves mood and stimulates appetite.
All of these help in the treatment of nerve pain and improve the quality of life of patients suffering from chronic pain.
It is important to note that cannabis does not cure the disease but helps those people get through the day and function better.
The second type of pain is inflammatory pain, and cannabis, by virtue of being a very effective anti-inflammatory agent, is very helpful for patients suffering from inflammatory pain, since once it suppresses the inflammation in the muscles, joints or bones, it actually knows how to reduce the intensity of the pain.
In addition, cannabis improves the mood, helps with sleep and in general helps to improve the quality of life.
For patients suffering from inflammatory pain, I recommend cannabis rich in CBD." Does
cannabis replace other painkillers?
"In most cases, the plant can reduce the use of other substances, which may be addictive, and over time cause more harm than good," concluded Dr. Cohen.
"Cannabis, on the other hand, has a mild degree of addiction. In most cases, unlike hard drugs, withdrawal from it does not cause withdrawal symptoms. At the beginning of use, there can sometimes be a little dizziness, overactivity of the intestines that can lead to diarrhea and, rarely, a drop in blood sugar."
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