Israel plans to legalize cannabis within 9 months

Israel plans to legalize cannabis within nine months, while balancing «liberalism and responsibility», said Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn on Thursday. He presented the recommendations of an interministerial team that examined the issue, alongside Likud MP Sharren Haskel and Blue and White MP Ram Shefa, who led their respective parties' thinking on the matter.

The Minister of Justice stated that an explanatory memorandum of the bill, announced last June, will be published by the end of November, and legalization will take effect nine months after approval, to give ministries time to prepare.

«It's time to move forward and legalize cannabis in Israel,» said declared Nissenkorn. «This is an important, holistic and responsible reform, which shows that the State of Israel is not ignoring reality and is following in the footsteps of developed countries.»

The new law should pass its first reading in the Knesset next month, and complete the entire legislative process within nine months. Meanwhile, the various offices will cooperate to regulate the market, each in its own department.

Under the new law, residents and tourists aged 21 and over will be able to buy cannabis in specialist stores or have it delivered to them.

The state will «ensure that prices are reasonable» to avoid encouraging customers to go to the black market, according to the interministerial team's recommendations.

The law will probably include a general ban on smoking cannabis in public spaces. It will not allow home cultivation of the plant without a license, although the team recommended that the question be asked at a later stage. Like cigarettes, cannabis advertising will remain banned.

Deputy Attorney General Amir Merari stated that the government's intention was to favour legalization over decriminalization, This is more common in other countries, because «decriminalization does not provide a solution to problems such as the black market».

Cannabis is currently partially decriminalized in Israel. Medical cannabis is legal here, with a determination to become a major exporter. New reforms will soon make it easier for patients to access cannabis-based treatments and for producers to obtain a license.