The IDF is cracking down on soldiers who use drugs such as cannabis and has launched a campaign to warn them that use of such drugs will have negative consequences.
“As part of the battle against drug use in the IDF, a reform has been agreed upon to increase measures to fight the phenomenon and will impose sanctions against troops,” the IDF said Monday.
The updated regulations were formulated by a General Staff committee that examined drug use in the army, it said.
Included among the new regulations are the denial of special benefits for combat troops and of demobilization grants that all soldiers receive when they complete their compulsory service.
“The use of drugs in the framework of military service violates the norms and values of the IDF and its mission of protecting the State of Israel,” the IDF said. “The IDF pursues a strict and uncompromising policy toward drug use due to the central role that IDF soldiers and their commanders play in defending the state and its citizens... By virtue of this responsibility while in uniform, troops are committed to a high level of discipline and must maintain constant competence at all times.”
The military treats soldiers found in possession of drugs harshly, even for a one-time offense in using cannabis while on leave. Soldiers found to be using or possessing drugs are arrested, and criminal indictments are filed against them.
Soldiers convicted of a drug offense by a military tribunal are demoted, given a criminal record and disqualified from receiving a civilian driver’s license. They can request a pardon from the president to expunge their criminal record after three and a half years.
Though cannabis was partially decriminalized in 2018, the military’s severe policy is in stark contrast to civilian life.
New Hope MK Sharren Haskel has been pushing for reform of cannabis legislation since last year when the Likud voted in favor of legalizing the drug.
While the use of cannabis in public would still be barred, her bill would allow adults to possess up to 50 grams of cannabis and up to 15 seeds for personal use. Possession in excess of this amount would lead to a fine of NIS 2,000. Those who smoke in public would receive a fine of NIS 500.
The IDF was reevaluating its policies regarding cannabis use, especially by troops on leave, with an eye to relaxing them, Haaretz reported in 2015.
A year later, it began to amend regulations concerning the use of cannabis by off-duty soldiers. According to those amendments, while cannabis was still prohibited to all service members, soldiers who were found to have drugs in their system after returning from leave were not automatically court-martialed but faced noncriminal and internal disciplinary actions, which were made at the discretion of their commanding officers.
“The goal is to allow a second chance,” the IDF was quoted as saying at the time.
A 2018 survey conducted by the Israel Anti-Drug Authority found that 54% of soldiers admitted to having smoked cannabis over the past year.