Israel Launches Pilot Program to Employ Foreign Workers in Medical Cannabis Cultivation

Israel is initiating a pilot program to allow the employment of foreign workers in medical cannabis cultivation for the first time, responding to a sharp rise in demand and labor shortages in the sector. The Agriculture Ministry will publish an experimental procedure enabling licensed medical cannabis growers to apply for recommendations to hire foreign workers, with a cap of up to 630 workers based on farm size. This pilot will run until the end of the year, with a possibility of extension.

Only growers holding valid licenses from the Medical Cannabis Unit at the Health Ministry will be eligible, and transparent criteria will be applied to assess applications. Foreign workers must have resided in Israel for at least 24 months and have prior agricultural work experience, alongside passing strict background checks and having no criminal record.

Currently, medical cannabis cultivation spans approximately 350 dunams and involves 33 growers. The number of licensed medical cannabis patients in Israel has surged 60% over five years, from about 84,800 in January 2021 to 136,400 in January 2024. The industry has long relied almost exclusively on Israeli labor despite ongoing difficulties recruiting and retaining workers, which has constrained growth.

The new procedure includes a three-stage approval process involving the Agriculture Ministry, Population and Immigration Authority, the Medical Cannabis Unit, and the Israeli Police. Yuval Lifkin, head of the Food Security Administration at the Agriculture Ministry, emphasized that this regulated pathway will strengthen producers, stabilize the sector, and support the development of advanced, innovative Israeli agriculture.