Israeli Police Will No Longer Arrest First-Time Drug Users

Israeli Police Will No Longer Arrest First-Time Drug Users
Drug War Chronicle, Issue #503, 9/28/07

In an effort to refocus Israeli drug law enforcement, the general inspector of the Israeli Police, Dudi Cohen, has announced that police will no longer arrest first-time drug users. The move comes as Israeli police reported they made more than 16,000 drug possession arrests and more than 8,000 drug sales arrests last year.

Israeli drug use levels are generally in line with those of Europe and North America. According to the UN Office on Drug Control's 2007 World Drug Report, 8.5% of Israelis smoke marijuana in a given year, placing them just below the more pot-friendly European nations (Cyprus, 14.1%; Italy and Spain, 11.2%; Switzerland 9.6% ), as well as the US (12.6% ) and Canada (16.8% ). But for cocaine, opiates, amphetamines, and ecstasy, Israeli usage levels hover squarely in the Western middle, with prevalence rates around 1%.

The shift in enforcement will begin with a pilot program for juvenile offenders, police said. The announcement came days after a widely-viewed documentary critical of the futility of the drug war appeared on Israeli television.

Under the new policy, people caught with "personal use" quantities of illegal drugs for the first time will be documented, but not arrested. Those quantities are set as follows:


Marijuana 15 grams
Hashish 15 grams
Opium 2 grams
LSD 3 stamps
Ecstasy 3 pills
Cocaine 0.3 grams
Heroin 0.3 grams

"We are not talking about the legalization of drugs," said Cohen. "But we will focus on the dealers and not the consumers."

"The General Inspector prefers to dry up the swamp instead of killing the mosquitoes one at a time," elaborated a senior officer in Intelligence and Investigations, the department which Cohen leads. "The system's new attitude toward users won't affect the popular drug use trends. Traditionally, when we stopped a student we caught for a first-time offense, he'd be delayed, brought to the station in a police car and would wait to be dealt with until a police officer was available to process his case; he'd endure a long interrogation and finally we'd look for a responsible party to come bail him out. The result was almost an entire day of police work dedicated to a file that would almost never lead to an indictment."

That amounted to a "useless investment" of police time, the officer said. Prosecuting all those drug cases resulted in a flood of cases for prosecutors that clogged the courts and took years to resolve, he added. Besides, he said, first-time drug offenders could be scared enough by police contact alone to change their ways. For those who don't, there is always the criminal justice system. "For most of those caught for the first-time, any contact with the police creates fear, explained the officer. When it comes to someone who's not a first-time offender, but that this is his way of life, we will prosecute him to the full extent of the law because he might drive under the influence or steal to pay for his drug use."

While the Green Leaf Party, which seeks marijuana legalization, welcomed the development, it was doubtful about the impact of the new policy and vowed to continue to work for an end to marijuana prohibition in the Jewish state.

"It is not clear to us that this will benefit marijuana users in any way, as once you've been stopped once, the second time they are free to arrest you," said Michelle Levine, a Green Leaf spokesperson. "They claim they are doing this to get the focus back on the distributors, though they've never focused on the distributors before. Furthermore, the police statement acknowledges that they will still interrogate first-time offenders when stopping them and recording their details for future interactions. That means they may ask them who their distributors are -- pressuring them to give names. The only difference at all is the first time a smoker is caught by the police with a small quantity, he will not actually be taken down to the station or charged, as is now the case," she said.

Green Leaf will continue to work for legalization, said Levine. "The Green Leaf Party is very busy with many projects right now, as we're organizing the 2nd Joint Arab Israeli Conference for Marijuana Policy and Peace, but we will not let up on the police for wasting taxpayer money on the drug war and we will not let up on our elected officials while nonviolent patriotic citizens rot in jail for marijuana offenses."

The Israeli police, for their part, will continue to fight drug trafficking. A new unit for the Negev region will work to seal the Jordanian border, which police describe as the major drug terminal for heroin and hashish being trafficked from Afghanistan. Another unit patrolling the Lebanese border will be reformed to concentrate on blocking Lebanese hash, as well as Afghan heroin and South American cocaine.

The drug laws must change, said Levine, who added that the party was increasingly popular. "Ale Yarok o Ale L'Nayedet!" ("Get With the Green Leaf Party or Get in the Police Car"), she added, repeating a popular party slogan.

Link!

Shit it's a start.

way to go Isreal

This is good news.

My Israeli friends tell me that up until now the police were absolute bastards for searching and arresting people for minor drug related infractions. Worse than the US was their claim, in fact.

Now, if only dubya would take a cue from one of his few remaining allies

Yeah thats really tight, the "personal" quantities aren't very proportionate. You can have over a half Oz of herb but a line or two of cocaine? regardless it's good news and they are probably harder on the addictive drugs but i'v never heard of anyone buying a G of white to deal.

i guess meth/amphetamine isnt a common illicit drug in isreal?

What do u do with 0,3g of coke.... looks like the party is finishing early... then again, with 2g of opium n 30g of hash/weed shouldn't have much trouble sleeping after your 0,3 g COKE BINGE...

In all fairness its a good start though...

Hah, yea I imagine I could make a night out of:
Marijuana 15 grams
Hashish 15 grams
Opium 2 grams
LSD 3 stamps
Ecstasy 3 pills
Cocaine 0.3 grams
Heroin 0.3 grams

Hahaha

Remember it would be up the the officers discretion. Maybe if you were caught with a gram or so they would be nice and simply rub most of it into the dirt or something.

Are they going to do what Australia does and send them to those drug courses, which is like a couple hours of some AA type crap.. or druggs rr baaad. etc. that people don't bother going to or going there high. Im pretty sure you get two chances here before they can impose a fine the next time or even a record depending on weight and if you have other crim records or shady pasts.
The only rule seems to be you do not qualify if you have a sexual or violent abuse criminal history.

Israel OKs ecstasy use

Israel OKs ecstasy use
Created On October 10th

Israeli authorities announced this week they’re to stop arresting ‘first time’ drug users when caught with ‘personal use’ quantities of any narcotic. Under the scheme, users will escape prosecution the first time they’re busted with up to 0.3 grams of heroin or cocaine, 3 ecstasy pills, 2 grams of opium and 15 grams (half of ounce) of pot, though their names will be recorded.

“The General Inspector prefers to dry up the swamp instead of killing the mosquitoes one at a time,” an unnamed local police chief told Israeli newspaper Haaretz (explaining they’re not targeting just suppliers), “For most of those caught for the first-time, any contact with the police creates fear,” he added.

Tel Aviv electro promoter/DJ Ellyot welcomed the news, telling Skrufff, “any relaxing of drug laws is good news for Tel Aviv’s nightlife. I think the police have finally understood that arresting people for having one E on them is just a waste of time.” Ellyot said police raids on clubs are very rare in Israel already with few people encountering police on the club scene.

“And of course there are far more pressing issues to be dealt with in our part of the world,” she pointed out. “Like dealing with greedy capitalists and ending the occupation of Palestine. I mean two separate states – Israel and Palestine,” she added. “I don’t really care which borders they finally agree to – as long as they do. I can’t wait to use my passport and rock Ramaalla,” she said.

Israel’s announcement coincided with reports from Dubai that a British clubber was sentenced to four years in jail this week, after being busted at the airport with ecstasy. The Gulf News said the unnamed 39 year old pleaded guilty after being caught with 1.71 grams of ecstasy at the airport and explained he’d forgotten the pills were in his luggage before traveling.

The clubber was locked up just four months after another British tourist got 4 years after being caught with a miniscule quantity of hashish in the lining of his pockets (0.07 grams – a little over two-thousandths of an ounce) and two months after a 52 year old American professor received the same sentence after being caught with 0.9 grams of marijuana.

The harshest penalty, however, was saved for an Egyptian man who got four years recently after blood tests showed he had traces of marijuana in his system. Though the 29 year old claimed he’d smoked a joint several days before arriving, he was jailed nonetheless, highlighting the UAE’s absolute zero tolerance. Another tourist, who claims to be Bob Marley’s son, is also currently awaiting trial after being caught with cannabis at the airport while in transit, the Gulf News reported last week.

Click Here

Israel OKs ecstasy use

Click to expand...

Nope, they have not.

They are simply doing what needs to be done and placing more emphasis on catching bulk suppliers than destroying the lives of innocent users by allowing them, in effect, a "yellow card" for the first offense.

Yeah, pretty much... although I seem to recall that Judaism has a rich history of entheogenic use for spiritual purposes. I think MAPS may have published something on it.

Koosh said:

Another tourist, who claims to be Bob Marley’s son, is also currently awaiting trial after being caught with cannabis at the airport while in transit, the Gulf News reported last week.

Click to expand...

How bizarre.

While I suppose this could be considered a step forward, is it not sort of a Catch 22?

More resources brought against finding and prosecuting suppliers will surely have some impact on availability and quality, thus making it harder for the user to even use?

Merged.

CloudyHazeD said:

While I suppose this could be considered a step forward, is it not sort of a Catch 22?

More resources brought against finding and prosecuting suppliers will surely have some impact on availability and quality, thus making it harder for the user to even use?

Click to expand...

Thats what they are trying to do, but as we have seen for the last 100 years drugs will never go away no matter how much money is burned trying to do so.

Well, the article is correct save for the data concerning overall useage. Having travelled extensively, I have never seen a nation where psychoactives were used on a greater per capita basis. Our govt. certainly does not want this as a topic for discussion but never the less, it is reality.

Although this is a great start, our laws still need to be totally overhauled. .5 grams of cannabis can get you 8 years inside. I myself did 11 months for cannabis in Israel (army rison though, bit different. Had I been prsecuted in civilain courts I could have gotten many years).

Amor: Cocaine is becoming a bigger problem in Israel. Most people are unaware but cocaine is not only produced in S. America. A trickle is coming out of Kenya, and literally tons of base are converted to caocaine hcl just north of us in Lebanon so the govt. is trying to nip a possible stimulant virus (stimulant usage works on a virus model so that it increases at an exponential rate until it bottoms out as it id di in America's Crack War.

We are a small nation and a beleagured nation. Stimulant usage will destroy our nation if it is allowed to thrive. There is a fair amount already but not with paticularly powerful substances. Probably the number one is Tenuate Dospan (diethylproprion hcl.) wihich is a stimulant in tablet form sold for countering obesity.

Alot of people liking stimulants go with Cathinine and Metcath which were actually OTC at 40 US cents a capsule up until 3 years ago. Still very cheap and plentifull as well as Khat which grows naturally in our country.

300 mgs. of heroin is not a great amount either, although the average retail unit is only 250 mgs. so it is all good in that area.

Stirfry: We have practically no methamphetamine at all but amphetamine type substances are used to some degree (see above).


Tambourine: We have used poppy since prehistory. It and cannabis has been found in our graves, it is listed in our religious Scripture (B'reshit /Genesis, relating when Ya'akov/Yisroel = Jacob/Israel sent prsents down into Goshen with his sons' caravan fort he vizier of Pharoe, who was actually his son Yosef/Joseph. Among gifts listed were opium and laudanum.

We are commanded to "elevate our souls" on 3 holidays: Pesach/Passover, Simchat Torah/Joy of Scripture, and Purim/Feast of Esther...the last where we are commanded to get so lifted that we cannot tell the differece between the good people and the bad people in the Book of Esther. We are also told, that if at all able, we should do the same every Friday night which is when Shabbat/Sabbath starts.

Many modern Jews choose to do this with wine,etc. but the tradional way is true to form.