Poll shows rising support for Cannabis decriminalization among Israeli college students

Vast majority of students support decriminalization of the drug.

By BEN HARTMAN
Updated: NOVEMBER 25, 2015 05:17
A worker carries sacks of newly harvested cannabis plants at a plantation near Nazareth (photo credit: REUTERS)
A worker carries sacks of newly harvested cannabis plants at a plantation near Nazareth
(photo credit: REUTERS)
If it were up to college students in Israel, policy on the regulation on cannabis would be drastically different, at least according to the findings of a recent poll.
As it stands today, Israeli law doesn’t differentiate between “hard drugs” like heroin and cocaine, and drugs generally considered less dangerous, such as cannabis.
According to the poll carried out by the National Union of Israeli Students, 89 percent of students would like to see the law changed to reflect this differentiation between the two types of drugs.
The poll surveyed over 10,000 students at institutions across the country.The poll found that 43% of students believe that cannabis should not only be decriminalized, but also sold under government regulation. Only 2% said they support a free-for-all in which anyone could sell cannabis.
According to the findings, even just since last year’s poll there has been an increase in support for legalization and a slight drop in support for continuing the current prohibition of cannabis as is.
For instance, while in the 2014 poll, 14% of respondents said they favor a total prohibition on the use of cannabis, in this year’s poll, only 11% said they agreed with such a ban.
In a press release announcing the results, Gilad Arditi, chairman of the National Students Union, said, “This issue reflects a generation gap. Today there are hundreds of thousands of young people who are considered criminals. This is a classification that the public doesn’t agree with, and therefore serious thought must be given to the issue in order to advance more suitable legislation.”