Most General Staff Were Opposed Unilateral Disengagement from Gaza
Justice Minister Shaked Reprimands Deputy AG for Leaking Opinion to Labor MK
9 B’Av: The Chain of Events that Led from Bar Kamtza to Titus
Will Iran Self-Inspect? And Will the US Defend Iran from Israel?
One Small Step for (a) Man, One Big Step for Buzz Aldrin
Israel Gave Jordan 16 Cobra Attack Helicopters to Help War Against ISIS
Israel Arrests PLO Terrorist Who Was Supposed to be in a Palestinian Authority Jail
Amnesty International Reveals Iran’s ‘Staggering’ Execution Spree: 700 in 6 Months
Assemblyman Dov Hikind Arrested Outside Senator Schumer’s Office [video]
You’ll Now Have 15 Seconds to Look for Cover
Much Worse Than Munich
Aleph Beta: Devarim: What Did Moses Do Wrong?
Stop Iran Rally Draws 12,000 to Times Square (Photo Essay)
Corker Tells Kerry: You’ve Been Fleeced
At Least One Jew Will Vote for Trump
Legalizing Marijuana Would End Black Market, Says Israeli Study
print
Legalizing marijuana in Israel would wipe out the black market and generate huge tax revenues, according to a a new study.
Legalizing marijuana would generate more than $450 million annually for the Israeli economy, according to a new study released by the Jerusalem Institute for Market Studies.
The black market for cannabis in Israel currently is worth $707 million annually, and legalizing the sale of grass, if taxed like cigarettes, would blow $268 million into the government’s money pot. In addition, it would save law enforcement agencies $198 million since they would not have to spend money to smokers of weed.
The study found that approximately 275,000 Israelis, 4 percent of the population, used marijuana in the past year, only 26 percent of Israelis support legalization of marijuana, while 64 percent opposes it.
In the United States, slightly more than half go those surveyed support legalizing grass. Marijuana is illegal under federal law, but 20 states to allow the use of medical marijuana. However, the Obama administration last week gave the green light for Colorado and Washington to carry out their laws to permit recreational use of marijuana.
The Justice Department said it would bring charges on marijuana only in certain cases, such as distributing it to minors.
The announcement “demonstrates the sort of political vision and foresight from the White House we’ve been seeking for a long time,” said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, an advocacy group.
The Justice Department added that it is watching Colorado and Washington closely to see if they can properly control marijuana use.
President Barack Obama has said he smoked grass when he was young, and a federal survey has found that 42 percent of Americans age 12 and older have smoked marijuana at some point in their lives.
The financial gains for states – and Israel is not being ignored,
“Recognizing the enormous financial gains that would come from legalization demands that the government take a serious look at the proposal to legalize cannabis use under specific guidelines,” said Yarden Gazit, who co-authored the study in Israel. “There is no disputing that if the public is able to get past the wholly negative misperceptions associated with marijuana usage and appreciate the potential benefits with limited social or healthcare costs, this is an idea that needs open-minded and serious re-examination at this time.”
News of the survey coincided with Canada’s launch of controlled medical marijuana, an industry that is expected to be worth more than $1 billion in the next 10 years. Medical marijuana has been legal in Canada for years but has been highly regulated. Now it is available by mail-order with a doctor’s approval.
Besides all of the arguments over whether marijuana is a drug that can lead to addiction, the underlying desire for governments to legalize it is money.
“We’re fairly confident that we’ll have a healthy commercial industry in time,” Sophie Galarneau, a senior Health Canada official told the Canadian Press.
The Green Leaf party in Israel has been trying to get into the Knesset for years to push its agenda to legalize pot. In early pre-election polls, it usually receives support that puts it on the brink of winning the minimum number of votes to win Knesset seats, but when the real ballots are counted, it always loses out.
The pro-marijuana campaigns in the United States may generate new enthusiasm to legalize marijuana in Israel, where liberal leaders almost always turn to American for cultural guidance.
Portland, Maine media reported Wednesday that supports of legalizing recreation marijuana will start promoting their agenda on city buses, with a message that grass is a better and safer alternative to alcohol.
Critics have complained that the campaign should not be on buses because children ride them to school.
Portland’s voter will go the ballot box in November to decide on a proposal to legalize marijuana by 2016. I
The Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project has targeted Maine and nine other states in its campaign to legalize grass within three years.
The JTA contributed to this report.
About the Author: Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu is a graduate in journalism and economics from The George Washington University. He has worked as a cub reporter in rural Virginia and as senior copy editor for major Canadian metropolitan dailies. Tzvi wrote for Arutz Sheva for several years before joining the Jewish Press.
If you don't see your comment after publishing it, refresh the page.
Our comments section is intended for meaningful responses and debates in a civilized manner. We ask that you respect the fact that we are a religious Jewish website and avoid inappropriate language at all cost.
If you promote any foreign religions, gods or messiahs, lies about Israel, anti-Semitism, or advocate violence (except against terrorists), your permission to comment may be revoked.
2
That’s why governments are against legalization. Money from both marketeers “cartels” and enforcement’s money to arrest as well people living off the enforcement business, bribed politicians from all sides would lose big.
That’s why governments are against legalization. Money from both marketeers “cartels” and enforcement’s money to arrest as well people living off the enforcement business, bribed politicians from all sides would lose big.
Legalizing Marijuana should have been done a long time ago… such nonsense.. Big cartels and prisons and business interests and IGNORANCE prevents it.
Legalizing Marijuana should have been done a long time ago… such nonsense.. Big cartels and prisons and business interests and IGNORANCE prevents it.
It would work out very well so long The Israeli government does not follow the State of Arizona's lead which has priced itself out of the legal market by charging $350.00 for an Ounce of product or $20.00 for one joint. Leave it to the Boneheads(pun intented) in government to ruin a much needed revision of the law.
It would work out very well so long The Israeli government does not follow the State of Arizona's lead which has priced itself out of the legal market by charging $350.00 for an Ounce of product or $20.00 for one joint. Leave it to the Boneheads(pun intented) in government to ruin a much needed revision of the law.
YEEEEES
weedbay420 Legal Marijuana $$$450 Million Annually For Israel
"Legalizing marijuana would end black market." That is a statement that is logically true, in and of itself, by definition of what a "black market" is. But so what? So would legalizing prostitution. Does that make it the right thing to do? No! Another nail in the coffin of keeping Eretz Yisrael the Holy Land!
Marijuana prohibition was a fraud from its beginning in 1937, when perpetrated by soon-to-be-out-of-work alcohol prohibition bureaucrat, Harry Anslinger. He desperately needed a new empire and no lie was too big to tell to get it.
In all it's miserable, counter-productive 76 years, marijuana prohibition has never accomplished one positive thing. It has ONLY caused vast amounts of crime, violence, corruption, death and the severe diminishment of everyone's freedom.
Thank goodness we are now ending the freedom-strangling American Inquisition!
After the dust settles on re-legalization, average quality marijuana will sell for around $50 an ounce, plus taxes. – It's just a plant.
LEGALIZEM.; -)
Go Israel!
John Thomas i bet its way lower than that for the best when its legal across N America tax included
Israel has been too afraid of the U.S. to legalize it. As AG Holder tries to negotiate terms of surrender, maybe Israel can be part of the peace.
Crackup! You'd think you could come to that conclusion without a study considering that there's not really any point or demand for legal things on a black market..
everything you think you know about cannabis is a lie
the story goes instate wengerocracy and legalize marijuana in palestine and israel on the same day and the next 3000 years will be peace. thats my bible
Here is a list of 25 studies showing that marijuana cures cancer, categorized by the type of cancers being cured in each study. Note that the consistent theme between them is that marijuana shrinks tumors and selectively targets cancer cells.
Cures Brain Cancer
http://www.nature.com/bjc/journal/v95/n2/abs/66032…
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11479216
http://www.jneurosci.org/content/21/17/6475.abstra…
http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/308/3/838.ab…
http://mct.aacrjournals.org/content/10/1/90.abstra…
Cures Mouth and Throat Cancer
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20516734
Cures Breast Cancer
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20859676
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18025276
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21915267
http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/early/2006/0…
http://www.molecular-cancer.com/content/9/1/196
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22776349
http://www.pnas.org/content/95/14/8375.full.pdf+ht…
Cures Lung Cancer
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22198381?dopt=Abstract
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21097714?dopt=Abstract
http://www.nature.com/onc/journal/v27/n3/abs/12106…
Cures Uterine, Testicular, and Pancreatic Cancers
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/cannabi…
http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/66/13/67…
Cures Prostate Cancer
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12746841?dopt=Abstract
http://www.nature.com/bjc/journal/v101/n6/abs/6605…
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3339795/?tool=pubmed
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22594963
Cures Colorectal Cancer
http://gut.bmj.com/content/54/12/1741.abstract http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22231745
Cures Ovarian Cancer
http://www.aacrmeetingabstracts.org/cgi/content/abstract/2006/1/1084?maxtoshow&hits=80&RESULTFORMAT&fulltext=cannabinoid&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=560&resourcetype=HWCIT
Cures Blood Cancer
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed
the greatest plant in the universe is almost free for all, LET FREEDOM RING!!!
hundreds of thousands die every year from alcohol and tobacco, every year! not one death from marijuana, ever…cannabis is about to revolutionize the planet, LOVE and FREEDOM
AMERICA'S WAR ON DRUGS IS A WAR ON AMERICANS!!!
I love weed
Prohibition is a crime. Legalize NOW !!!
Haiti should do same.
Yes, Haiti should the same.
I think Haiti should do the same.
What the article doesn't tell you, is that Canada is also taking the private production rights away from current patients. The industry is starting its pricing 10X the current cost to patients that provide their own medicine. In effect, the most marginalised and unable, are being silently sacrificed to economic interests. Harper is building new prisons to hold us….