In January, the Israeli government announced plans to strengthen it’s leadership position in the medical marijuana industry and open their local market to new farms and sellers. Israel has been a leading global player in clinical research and testing for the last decade. They have plans to strengthen their position as a player on the global medical marijuana market.

Currently in Israel, only eight farms are allowed to grow cannabis for medical purposes. The government is adding new regulations so that anyone who meets specific safety and quality requirements can be eligible to grow and sell cannabis.

Today, 25,000 patients in Israel receive cannabis for medical reasons. If patients are looking to get approved for medical marijuana, they must wait months to get a prescription because a lack of doctors. Israel is also taking steps now to increase the number of growers and physicians to solve this issue.

“Even today there are pharmacies giving out all kinds of other medicines such as morphine. We will also sort out cannabis. There will be registration and we will supervise it,” Yaakov Litzman, Israel’s minister of health said.