Israel Considers Legalizing Marijuana Based on the Canadian Model
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced government plans to legalize recreational marijuana. He also promised to expunge criminal and administrative records of citizens charged with marijuana use and possession.
Israel Looks to Canada for Cannabis Regulation
On February 23, Netanyahu posted on Twitter: “I have reviewed the issue and decided to promote the idea of removing information about cases opened against tens of thousands of Israelis for marijuana use and possession. Investigating these offenses harms society and burdens the judicial system. Justice Minister Amir Ohana has begun working on implementing this initiative. He will lead a committee of lawyers and medical professionals to study the possibility of applying the Canadian model of cannabis regulation in Israel.”
Public Skepticism Over Netanyahu’s Promise
Parliamentary elections are scheduled in Israel for March 2, and political analysts believe Netanyahu is trying to win votes by promising to legalize cannabis and expunge records. Before the 2019 elections, Netanyahu also stated his intention to liberalize regulations for the medical cannabis market, but in reality, this did not happen. As a result, Israelis are skeptical of the Prime Minister’s words and have been sharing humorous memes featuring him and Blue and White alliance member Yair Lapid.
Knesset member Benny Gantz commented on Netanyahu’s promises: “What you haven’t done in 10 years as Prime Minister, you won’t do in the next 10 years. For years, you’ve been selling illusions to sick people who need medical marijuana and to young people just to get more votes.”
Failed Attempt to Create a Competitive Cannabis Industry
In September of last year, the Israeli government lifted price controls on medical marijuana to create a free market. However, the legislative liberalization led to a significant increase in cannabinoid prices, prompting the Supreme Court of Israel to impose a moratorium on amendments to the medical cannabis law until the end of March 2020.
The initiative to remove price restrictions is led by Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman. He believes that government control hinders the development of the cannabis sector by reducing competition. In theory, the regulatory change was supposed to lower product prices and improve quality, but in practice, the opposite occurred due to demand outpacing supply.