The reforms include switching from a license system to a prescription system, demanding a special budget from the Finance Ministry, direct sales outside of pharmacies, the removal of CBD from the list of dangerous drugs, transparency on the ingredients of the substance to patients and more.
Edelstein explained that he was exposed to the issue of medical marijuana twice before entering his current position as health minister.
The first instance was as diaspora affairs minister when he brought foreign journalists to a place where marijuana was grown and medicine was produced. "It was a great success and Israel received a lot of praise throughout the world."
"The second instance was much more sad," explained Edelstein. "When my late wife, Tanya, was in her last months and the pain was difficult, the doctor offered her to use [marijuana]. I am a witness that it helped her. I don't know if there were medical effects or not, but concerning the pain it definitely helped her."
Edelstein received a large number of messages from patients concerning the price and the mess around medical marijuana.
"It was clear to me that professional and fast care needed to be given and that with the coronavirus I would not be able to get to it alone in the coming year," explained Edelstein. "Therefore I asked my deputy Yoav Kish to coordinate the handling of the issue and to handle it as quickly as possible with officials from within and outside of the Health Ministry."
The Health Minister asked Kish to find ways to lower the costs of medical marijuana and to examine reforms to find what works and what doesn't.
"No one can remain indifferent to the harsh reality in which patients live," said Kish. "Unfortunately, as published, the leading issue in public complaints is medical cannabis."