Israel has earned plaudits for being on the progressive forefront of marijuana research and expansion. But not everyone in the Jewish state is on the bandwagon supporting marijuana legalization.
A 2013 study by the Jerusalem Institute for Market Studies found that 64 percent of Israelis opposed complete
cannabis legalization, the Jewish Business News reported.
Here are three organizations that oppose pot legalization and certain aspects of medical marijuana availability in Israel.
Urgent: Should Marijuana Be Legalized in All States?
1. The Israel Anti-Drug Authority (IADA)
The IADA has spoken out in opposition to Israel’s police chief Yohanan Danino, who has urged authorities to change the legal approach to the recreational use of
marijuana, which is illegal in the Jewish state, RT.com reported.
"Marijuana is a dangerous drug, a drug that does great damage to everyone, in particular to young people up to age 25, whose bodies and minds are still developing," IADA chairman Tzvi Hendel said, according to RT.com
2. The Israel Ministry of Health
Dr. Boaz Lev, the associate director general of the Ministry of Health, questioned data supporting
marijuana use, MinnPost reported in 2013.
"Despite the fact that many patients say cannabis helped them, it is hard to prove anything," Lev said, according to the website. "At this point, despite the fact that there are a lot of subjective reports of the benefits, the medical establishment does not accept cannabis as a mainstream treatment."
Still, Lev remained hopeful about the potential benefits of the drug.
“Hopefully this would prove to be the best medication. I really hope so. We're not there yet,” he said,
according to a CNN report that aired in April.
3. The Israel Medical Association
The group opposes allowing all physicians to give patients medical marijuana prescriptions, noting the potential for abuse and that pot is still classified there as a dangerous drug,
the Jerusalem Post reported in 2013.
“We often hear of family doctors who are threatened with verbal and even physical violence if they do not prescribe medical marijuana,” IMA chairman Dr. Leonid Eidelman wrote in a 2013 letter opposing a bill that would allow all doctors to prescribe medical marijuana. “This situation is insufferable, and the bill will only make it worse. This proposal will produce a dangerous jump and turn medical marijuana into an accessible product that could endanger the public, who would not receive better and more suitable treatment, and it would put patients as well as doctors at risk.”
Vote Now: Should the U.S. Continue to Support Israel?
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.