The bill's sponsor, New Hope faction head Sharren Haskel, agreed to the delay at the request of Ra'am (United Arab List) head Mansour Abbas, who opposes it for religious reasons. His request also prevented the bill from being defeated due to the absence of a coalition MK diagnosed with COVID-19, Vladimir Beliak (Yesh Atid).
Haskel delivered an impassioned plea to Abbas to support the bill, saying that it would benefit his Israeli Arab constituents. She pointed out that 45% of Arab citizens have used cannabis and 33% of those arrested for possession are Arabs.
Knesset member Michal Woldinger, who has treated thousands of young people in drug rehab centers, delivered an equally emotional address against the bill, which she warned would lead to more people using cannabis.
The law would change the current fining system for cannabis use in public. While users now face fines for first-time offenses of NIS 1,000 and second-time offenses of NIS 2,000 before criminal charges are issued, the new law would lower the fines to NIS 500 and eliminate the option to criminalize the user.
If someone is found to possess over 50 gr. of cannabis in public, but they can prove that it is meant for their own personal use, they will receive a fine of NIS 2,000 and avoid criminal charges.
While this legislation would still prevent recreational cannabis shops from opening up, the new government sees decriminalization as a necessary first step while they prepare the much more complex legislation needed to create a framework for a legal, recreational cannabis market.
The bill would also allow people to appeal to the attorney-general to retroactively void any criminal records they may have as a result of recreational cannabis use, and reclassify CBD as a food additive.