Snap vote to decriminalize marijuana fails in Knesset due to Ra’am opposition

New Hope MK blames her former Likud colleagues, who had supported law proposal in previous government; coalition MKs Walid Taha and Mazen Ghanaim vote against
Times of Israel (Israel)
Wednesday, July 28, 2021

israel cannabisA bill to decriminalize recreational marijuana use failed to clear a vote in the Knesset plenum due to opposition from lawmakers in the coalition’s Ra’am party. New Hope MK Sharren Haskel hoped to have her law proposal pass in a snap vote, as many opposition MKs were not present. However, opposition MKs quickly returned to the plenum to vote against the law. The vote failed 52-55 after Ra’am MKs Walid Taha and Mazen Ghanaim voted against the law along with the opposition parties. Haskel’s bill would permit Israeli adults to possess up to 50 grams of marijuana and to grow up to 15 plants for personal use. Anyone possessing marijuana in excess of that amount could face a NIS 2,000 (over $600) fine.