Israel announced a road map to legalize cannabis potentially within one year and, in doing so, would create a regulated market for adult-use marijuana products largely based on Canada’s legalization model.
The country’s justice minister, Avi Nissenkorn, said a legal memo likely will be published by the end of November, which could be presented to the Knesset in December for an initial vote, Israeli Cannabis Magazine reported.
Nissenkorn said the law would go into effect nine months after it wins approval in the Israeli parliament.
The proposal comes just one week after New Zealand narrowly rejected a move to establish a billion-dollar market for regulated adult-use cannabis.Germany also turned down a proposal recently.
“It’s time to make progress and legalize cannabis in Israel,” Nissenkorn said, according to the Times of Israel newspaper.
“This is a significant, holistic and responsible reform, which shows the State of Israel isn’t ignoring reality and is going in the footsteps of developed countries.”
Israel’s proposed model is expected to resemble Canada’s, as first reported by Israeli Cannabis Magazine, starting with a strong emphasis on public health while carving out a wide enough playing field for legal businesses.
