Israeli police told the operators of the cargo terminal at Ben Gurion Airport, the country’s main international airfield, to stop shipments of medical marijuana, The Israeli Cannabis Magazine reported.
Israel is one of the top importers of medical cannabis flower in the world, so any delay could be costly for importers and exporters.
This is also the latest in a series of disruptions to legal cannabis shipments in recent years.
In 2020, Israel increased import requirements, limiting cannabis export opportunities
The issue this time, according to the magazine, is that the two companies that manage the cargo terminal didn’t have the appropriate permits.
To resolve the impasse, Yuval Landschaft, head of the Israeli Medical Cannabis Unit, issued a temporary license, which will be valid until Aug. 21, 2022, according to the magazine.
At this time, it is unclear if that will be enough to satisfy police authorities beyond the August deadline.
The Israeli Cannabis Magazine also reported that the companies handling marijuana shipments had informed manufacturers and importers that imports and exports won’t be allowed until further notice. But that was before Landschaft’s intervention.
Israel is one of the largest federally regulated medical marijuana markets in the world.
As of December 2021, there were 109,352 active medical patients in Israel. That’s about 35% higher than one year earlier.
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For comparison, Canada – the largest federally regulated medical marijuana market in the world – reported 264,686 active clients as of September 2021.
Canada’s September figure was a stunning 30% reduction from a year earlier.