Tel Aviv, Israel — New Israeli laws regarding cannabis decriminalize possession of the plant and its buds. In accordance of the new laws, the possession of a home-grown marijuana plant is no longer punishable by law. Civilians found to be carrying small amounts of cannabis in public without medical authorization will now face fines rather than be subjected to criminal proceedings.
Israel decriminalized adult use on April 1. On the same day, former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak was a keynote speaker at the fourth annual CannaTech conference in Tel Aviv.
Barak, who incidentally is currently chairman of the Israeli medical cannabis company Canndoc/Intercure, spoke about the benefits of medical marijuana, quipping that Israel is updating its motto, becoming “the land of milk, honey, and cannabis.”
The former prime minister’s involvement highlights yet another career politician who has made the shift from cannabis prohibitionist to proponent ala Former U.S. Speaker of the House, John Boehner. Barak lends his voice to the significant global chorus of former government leaders, Such as Mexico’s former president Vicente Fox, who are calling for a change in perception of how the world currently views cannabis.
“Some 35 countries have already legalized cannabis to a certain extent, either for medical or sometimes even recreational use,” Barak said during his keynote. “Two-thirds of U.S. states have approved medical cannabis; one-third [have approved] recreational use.”
(In enlightened cannabis-consuming circles the proper parlance for “recreational” consumption is adult use.)
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