Cannabis legalization project fails in Israel

A bill to legalize cannabis in Israel has been halted at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, due to opposition from lawmakers of the Ra'am party.

Sharren Haskel, a member of the New Hope party who originated the proposal, hoped to pass it in a snap vote, with many opposition MKs not present at the time. They nevertheless quickly returned to vote against the law.

The vote failed 52-55 after Ra’am MKs Walid Taha and Mazen Ghanaim voted against the law along with the opposition parties.

Previously, a vote on the bill was postponed due to opposition from Ra'am, which requested more time to examine how the legalization of cannabis would be received among its supporters in the Arab community. The coalition holds a very slim majority in the Knesset, with limited capacity to advance legislation without Ra'am's support.

Wednesday, after the vote failed, Sharren Haskel said she introduced the bill to keep a campaign promise to legalize cannabis within three months of the government's investiture.

«Even though I knew the bill would be rejected, I decided to bring it up,» said Sharren Haskel.

She blamed the Likud party, which she left last December, for not supporting the bill. Its deputies support such a step in principle, but they excluded any cooperation with the coalition of which it is not a part.

«But you prefer personal political considerations to the public interest and to a law that you yourself deem necessary. You have achieved a small political victory, but you have caused a great injustice,» she said in a statement.

Last year, when Haskel was still a Likud MK, the party voted in favor of cannabis legalization. Since then, the Knesset has been dissolved and new elections have been called before two bills could pass the three required plenary readings to become law.

Sharren Haskel stated that she would continue to try to advance legalization «by all legal means at my disposal, whether parliamentary or extra-parliamentary,» she added.

The bill initiated by Sharren Haskel would allow Israeli adults to possess up to 50 grams of cannabis and grow up to 15 plants for personal use. Anyone possessing more than this amount of cannabis would face a fine of NIS 2,000 (€520).

Marijuana consumption in public will remain prohibited, with offenders facing a fine of 500 NIS (€130).