Israeli startup a go-to resource in medical cannabis world
Over the past three years, the community of Israeli medical cannabis license-holders grew by 76,000 patients
An Israeli startup is seeking to become a go-to resource and online marketplace for medical cannabis patients who are often tasked with navigating the confusing industry alone.
Cannbis, founded just over a year ago, offers detailed information on available cannabis flower strains such as their genetics, THC levels, and the expected results — calm, creative, focused, sleepy — based on other users’ experiences.
The startup also suggests pharmacies for patients that stock desired products, and reveals the reputations of medical cannabis suppliers, The Times of Israel (ToI) reported.
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In an interview with ToI, the founder of Cannbis Elad Gazit said the cannabis industry in Israel is a “wild west” with an “immature” database.
Patients have “no access to data or information about what they need to do, what products they need, where they can buy them, what the prices are,” he said.
“There’s zero information flow.”
He explained how patients are forced to seek advice regarding cannabis via WhatsApp and Telegram groups because health professionals lack sufficient knowledge.
About 80,000 Israeli medical cannabis patients use Cannbis, Gazit told ToI, out of nearly 110,000 people who hold medical cannabis licenses in Israel.
The startup also works directly with medical and pharmaceutical firms to provide informal training on how to help patients choose products, and hopes to soon offer online consultations between patients and medical professionals.
Cannabis in Israel
While medical cannabis use is legal in Israel, the sector is not fully integrated into the public health system.
Israel’s Health Ministry does not consider medical-grade cannabis as medicine, and only approves it for its therapeutic effects for specific conditions such as PTSD and cancer, according to ToI.
However, even with a license in hand, patients still face a confusing and ill-informed journey to determine what works best for them.
A growing community
Over the past three years, the community of medical cannabis license-holders grew by 76,000 patients.
According to a survey by Cannbis, 60 percent of respondents use medical cannabis for chronic pain, 20 percent for PTSD, and roughly five percent for cancer-related symptoms, ToI reported.
While recreational use of cannabis is still illegal in Israel, the Public Security Ministry decriminalized it in 2017, imposing fines and treatment for initial offenders rather than criminal procedures.