Pubdate: Thu, 31 Oct 2013
Source: Jerusalem Post (Israel)
Copyright: 2013 The Jerusalem Post
Contact: http://info.jpost.com/C002/Services/Feedback/editors.html
Website: http://www.jpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/516
Author: Lahav Harkov

MERETZ MK SEEKS TO DECRIMINALIZE POT-SMOKING

MK Tamar Zandberg (Meretz) submitted what she called the first-ever 
bill to decriminalize private marijuana use in Israel on Wednesday.

Under Zandberg's legislation, personal use of small amounts of 
marijuana would not be considered a crime. The bill also 
differentiates between the crimes of holding large amounts of 
cannabis, distributing and selling it, and creates levels of 
criminality by amount.

"The time has come to stop the mistaken and wasteful policy against 
cannabis users," Zanberg wrote on her blog. "Slowly, slowly the truth 
is coming out: Cannabis is not harmful or addictive, at least not 
more than other, legal substances.

"Using [marijuana] is part of a normative, non-criminal lifestyle," 
the Meretz MK added.

Earlier this month, the Ministerial Committee for Legislation 
postponed a vote on a bill by MK Moshe Feiglin (Likud Beytenu) that 
would allow any doctor to prescribe medical marijuana, because Health 
Minister Yael German opposed it.

Also this month, a dozen MKs admitted to smoking marijuana after 
opposition leader Shelly Yacimovich (Labor) did so, though she said 
in an interview last year that she didn't.

The MKs who admitted that they had tried marijuana were Labor's 
Avishay Braverman, Eitan Cabel, Miki Rosenthal and Stav Shaffir; 
Meretz's Ilan Gilon, Tamar Zandberg and Michal Roisin; and Yesh 
Atid's Pnina Tamnu-Shata, Yoel Razbozov, Adi Kol and Yifat Kariv.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom