Criminal Record Expungement Requested By President
Early last month, Israel’s President Isaac Herzog as well as Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced that the government was considering the decriminalization of recreational cannabis use. They are also considering the expungement of criminal records for individuals charged with cannabis possession and use.
If the new legislations are approved, Israelis who were convicted of cannabis use before the new laws were set in place would have the opportunity to appeal by requesting to have their records erased. Meanwhile, people with pending criminal proceedings also have a chance to get in touch with the police so that the charges could be dropped. In addition, if recreational cannabis is decriminalized, use would no longer be considered a criminal charge but instead will be treated like administrative violations, in the same way that traffic violations are handled.
Individuals have to keep in mind that all requests will be treated on a case by case basis, with authorities carefully considering the circumstances together with the changes in policy, reports a press release.
“Many Israelis have been, in practice, made into criminals,” said Sa’ar, referring to cannabis use. He goes on to add that “it violates their personal rights and undermines trust between citizens and law enforcement.”
Currently, the regulations are awaiting the green light from the Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee.
Underground “Marijuana Tunnel” Discovered In Israel
In other Israeli cannabis news, the Jerusalem Post reports that the police discovered a complex 20 square meter marijuana tunnel was just discovered underground in Tel Sheva.
According to the police, the tunnels were designed in such complexity that it could give the secret Hamas tunnels a run for its money. The tunnels were discovered during a bust operation to locate drug labs, and they were found in sewer shaft under a “seemingly innocent manhole cover” within a residential compound.
“We immediately realized that it was a tunnel leading to an underground drug lab,” said intelligence officer, Maj. Itai Buharis.
It was clear to them that the tunnel’s construction was by no means an afterthought, but rather the product of an elaborate plan given the complex features and its sheer size, which dwarfed the Hamas terrorist tunnels running between Gaza and Israel. Additionally, the drug lab contained high end equipment for growing illegal drugs including 177 seedlings for marijuana. The landlord was arrested and taken for questioning.
The tunnel isn’t the first nor is it the longest marijuana tunnel to be discovered in Israel.
Back in October 2021, a police operation unveiled a 120-meter long tunnel containing millions worth of marijuana in the Eshkol region. Three suspects were arrested at the scene.
Israel’s Cannabotech Partners With California Company Next-Level To Create Cancer Products
Israeli biotech company Cannabotech has just announced that they will be forging a partnership with NXT-LVL, a California cannabis company with the intention of manufacturing cannabis products to be used in oncology.
In addition, the agreement will enable Cannabotech to be made in Next-Level’s space, in compliance with medical cannabis regulations in California. This announcement unveils the next step for Cannabotech, who intends to market their products to oncologists outside of Israel. Soon enough, their cannabis-based cancer medications will be available in California, with the goal of selling by the fourth quarter of 2022, reports Yahoo Finance.
Over the last few years, Cannabotech has also amassed incredible amounts of scientific data, which they intend to make available for Californian caregivers and physicians. This valuable information sheds light on the research they have done and are currently conducting, with the goal of helping uncover formulations to help patients with various cancers including pancreatic, colon, breast, prostate, and lung cancers. Furthermore, they are also researching how cannabis-based treatments can ease the side effects of chemotherapy, inflammatory, and neuropathic pain.
It makes sense to market their products in California, given that it’s home to the biggest marijuana market in the world. California was the first globally to ever approve medical marijuana back in 1996, and today they already have a mature cannabis market compared to others in the country or anywhere else in the world.
“This is a significant milestone in Cannabotech’s growth, allowing us entry into the world’s largest cannabis market, with unique medical solutions that will be specific and distinct from all other players in this arena. We are excited about finding such a professional partner as Next-Level, with their ability to develop and manufacture Cannabotech’s complex formulae while adhering to local medical cannabis regulations. The vision and path we established 3 years ago are now becoming a reality, and we are very proud of building a solid intellectual property in Israel and starting to commercially sell our products in the world’s largest cannabis market before the end of this year,” says Elhanan Shaked, Cannabotech CEO.
Israel Cannabis Company Sees Massive Sales Increases
Panaxia, an Israeli medical marijuana company, reported a big boost in revenues for their 2021 sales. Located in Lod, an Arab-Jewish city, the company said that net revenues jumped 38% last year, while their stock price also increased.
This is a sign that the MMJ industry is clearly growing leaps and bounds in Israel. Even if MMJ was legalized in 1999 yet, it took a lot of work from public figures and politicians to get to where the industry is today.
Panaxia is among Israel’s big cannabis players, though InterCure also reported triple profits from last year, seeing revenues of a cool $24 million.
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