Prime Minister Netanyahu says he will seek to wipe the criminal records of Israelis convicted for possessing or using marijuana.
“I examined the matter and decided to advance the erasure of criminal records of tens of thousands of Israelis for personal use and cannabis possession, something that causes unnecessary suffering to many and a burden on the courts,” Netanyahu writes on Twitter.
He adds: “[Justice] Minister Ohana has begun work on the matter and he will head a committee with professionals and Green Leaf [party] chairman Oren Leibovich, which will examine importing the Canadian model for regulating a legal market in Israel.”
It is not immediately clear how Netanyahu would be able to clear the records of Israelis convicted for marijuana crimes. Israel’s quasi-constitutional Basic Laws give the power to grant pardons to the president.
The promise from Netanyahu to consider legalization comes just over a week before the March 2 elections. He made a similar vow ahead of elections in April and, before a second round of elections in September, pledged to liberalize the medical marijuana market.
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