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Dr. Gil Bar-Sela, head of Integrated Oncology and Palliative Care Center at Rambam, is now one of five doctors nationwide licensed to prescribe marijuana to cancer patients. The drug, either smoked or taken orally, is intended to ease pain and nausea, and to boost patients’ appetite and spirits
Israelis suffering from cancer now have easier access to marijuana for medical use. For these
patients, the drug is employed to counter the pain associated with their disease, and the nausea, lack of appetite and uncontrolled vomiting caused by its treatment.
In an effort to streamline the process of acquiring the drug, Israel’s Ministry of Health has licensed five doctors to grant patients permission for the medical use of cannabis. To this point, only one doctor in the country had this authority, resulting in long waiting periods for patients.
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Dr. Gil Bar Sela. Photo credit: Pioter Fliter. |
Dr Gil Bar Sela, head of Integrated Oncology and Palliative Care Center at Rambam, is one of these five doctors.“Cannabis has a long history of use in medicine, as well as in agriculture and religious ritual,” explains Dr Bar-Sela. Evidence of marijuana use dates back more than 2,000 years. Cannabis was used by the ancient Hindus and Nihang Sikhs of India, the Assyrians in Mesopotamia, the central Asian Scythians and the people of Thrace in the Balkans. In mid 19th century Britain, Queen Victoria’s physician prescribed her cannabis for relief of menstrual cramps.
According to Dr Bar-Sela, “a large portion of patients are helped by cannabis.” It often, he says, “eases pain, increases appetite – if not weight gain – and very significantly, improves state of mind.”
Dr Bar-Sela is allowed to prescribe the medicine to oncological patients only. To be eligible, a patient must have metastatic cancer or be receiving chemotherapy. “This leaves a wide margin in which the referring physician and the doctor granting permission can use their judgement,” he says. Permission for using medical cannabis is not granted to those in remission.
Patients with all types of cancer, of any age, can use drug. For adults, the accepted dosage is 30
gram a month. Usually, the medical cannabis is smoked, but it can be administered orally as well.
In recent years, marijuana has been used to counter chronic pain, intestinal infections, epilepsy and weight loss connected to AIDS. Side effects are minimal, though long-term use has been linked to impaired memory, decision-making and fertility, and even schizophrenia. Much like alcohol, frequent use may lead to addiction.
The Ministry of Health’s decision to license another five doctors nationwide to prescribe marijuana was aimed to increase efficiency. As of now, prescriptions for medical cannabis can be given at Rambam, but the drug is still distributed only in the Tel Aviv area. The ministry is now acting to make this service readily available to residents throughout the country.
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