Marijuana reform is sweeping the globe. More and more countries are revisiting their current marijuana laws, almost all of which prohibit marijuana. Marijuana prohibition is a waste of money, doesn’t work, and ruins lives. Law enforcement resources are limited, no matter where you are at on this planet, and they should be spent wisely. Law enforcement budgets should be used for fighting real crime, and not for locking up someone that chooses to use a substance that is safer than alcohol. That is something that apparently Israel’s National Police Chief Yohanan Danino agrees with. Per JPost:
The cause of marijuana legalization received a boost from an unlikely source on Wednesday, when Israel Police Insp.-Gen. Yohanan Danino said it is time for the government and police to reexamine their policies on the use of cannabis and study how other countries were dealing with the matter.
“I think the time has come for the Israel Police, together with the state, to reexamine their stance on cannabis. I think we must sit and study what’s happening around the world,” he said.
Speaking to high school students in Beit Shemesh, Dani – no also said he was aware that cannabis “has become an issue that is much more a part of the public debate than it was in the past, and more citizens are asking that the use of cannabis be legalized.”
In a Rosh Hashana interview with Israel Hayom last year, Danino appeared to express support for reducing enforcement against casual users, saying, “I’m not concerned about somebody who’s rolling a joint on their balcony in this neighborhood or that. I look at the dangerous drug addict, the one who robs and steals in order to get his fix.”
How cool would it be if Mr. Danino joined Law Enforcement Against Prohibition? Get this guy an application maybe? Anyhow, this is great news. Anytime a sitting leader of a law enforcement agency says that he or she wants to have a candid discussion about how to improve marijuana laws, that’s a good thing. I hope to see this go farther than words though. I hope to see some action.
