Israel officially decriminalizes cannabis

On Sunday, the Israeli government approved the decriminalization of cannabis in the form of contraventionnalisation.

Under the proposal formulated by the Ministries of Public Security and Justice, any offender who has been caught once for consuming cannabis in public will receive a fine of around €250 (1,000 shekels), and will only fear criminal prosecution if they break the law three more times.

The Minister of Public Security who led the reform, Gilad Erdan, explained that «the government's approval is an important step in the implementation of a new policy, which will prioritize public information and care over a penal response».

For to implement this new policy, An inter-ministerial team will be tasked with proposing amendments, new rules and changes required to implement the new policy.

The reactions were many. The chairwoman of the Knesset's Special Committee on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Tamar Zandberg, declared that «this is an important step, but not the end of the road. We are sending a message that the one million Israelis who use cannabis are not criminals. We will continue to follow the details [of the law's implementation] and ensure that the changes are implemented.»

The decriminalization of cannabis in Israel was based on the conclusions of a committee chaired by Rotem Peleg, Director General of the Ministry of Public Security. The panel had recommended a shift from criminal repression of consumers to administrative fines and prevention campaigns. According to Minister Erdan, criminal repression should only be used as a last resort.

The new law will punish first-time offenders who consume cannabis in public with a fine of 1,000 shekels, without criminal prosecution. The fine will be doubled for the second offence. The third offence will lead to a period of probation, with an entry on the criminal record that will be erased after a certain period of time. Only the fourth offence will lead to prosecution.

The money from the fines will go directly into funding drug treatment and prevention.

If a minor is caught smoking cannabis, he or she will only be prosecuted if he or she refuses treatment.

Erdan explained that Israel's drug policy had been reviewed in the light of global moves to legalize cannabis.