Will Israeli elections bury cannabis legalization?
Once the Knesset officially dissolves, cannabis legislation has two potential fates
Wednesday, December 23, 2020
Just last month, Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn announced that Israel was only nine months away from fully legalizing and regulating recreational cannabis. However, after the Knesset decided to disperse, it is practically certain that the cannabis legalization bill will not have enough time to get through a first reading in the Knesset. When asked whether the cannabis legalization bill still had any hope of passing, Nissenkorn’s spokesman said that he did not see how it could move forward in light of the elections. Though the consensus in the short-lived 23rd Knesset has been overwhelmingly pro-legalization, without passing a first reading the entire legislative progress that has so far been made on the topic may have to start again. (See also: Cannabis industry prepares for Israeli legalization)
