Israel wants to decriminalize cannabis

As federal cannabis reform slowly moves forward in the United States, Israel is poised to decriminalize cannabis possession nationwide.

On Wednesday, March 9, Attorney General Gideon Sa’ar signed an ordinance making possession and personal use of cannabis an administrative penalty only. The regulations are expected to be approved shortly by Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, and will come into effect immediately.

Additionally, earlier this week, Sa’ar and Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced plans to ease eradication efforts for past offenders.

The regulations come at the right time. A temporary, similar order from 2019 expired at the end of March this year.

The regulations mark a major step forward after efforts to fully legalize cannabis in Israel – led by then-Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn – failed in November 2020.

Though far from full legalization of recreational activities, the decriminalization effort — spearheaded by Sa’ar and first launched in February — marks a significant advance for cannabis justice in Israel.

The new ordinance decriminalizes the possession and personal use of cannabis for all Israelis, including those with criminal records. The only exceptions are minors, soldiers, police officers and soldiers serving as prison guards. Fines would be capped at 500 shekels, which is about $150. (Israel legalized medical marijuana in the early 1990s.)

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The regulations take a bold stance on erasure, allowing Israelis with previous convictions for cannabis possession (but not those with additional criminal charges) to file a request to have their records invalidated entirely. Israelis with pending charges could similarly request that those charges be dropped.

President Herzog and Minister Sa’ar said in a statement released March 6 that the simultaneous erasure effort “results from a desire to remove the criminal label and associated taint from anyone who has previously committed the offense of personal possession or use.” committed by cannabis.”

The erasure process is nuanced nonetheless; Herzog and Sa’ar also insist that “each request will be considered individually, taking into account their particular circumstances.”

Israelis seeking to have their records erased are encouraged to submit a request using a simple form, which can be found on the website of the Department of Justice’s Pardons Division.

Max Savage Levenson

Max Savage Levenson probably has the lowest cannabis tolerance of any author on the cannabis beat. He also writes about music for Pitchfork, Bandcamp and other bespectacled people. He is the co-host of the Hash podcast. His dream interview is Tyler the Creator.

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