Global Ganja Report

Israel's High Court of Justice on April 17 rejected a petition by a cannabis legalization group asking for a police permit allowing participants to publicly smoke the herb at a "420" rally in Tel Aviv advocating legalization. The petition was filed by the Dor Haemet (Generation of Truth) youth movement. According to Dor Haemet, Israel has over 1 million cannabis users. (InfoLive TV, Israel, April 17; Jerusalem Post, April 10)

Official figures released to the Knesset Drug Abuse committee earlier this year indicate that Israel has 9,000 registered medical marijuana users—making it the world leader proportional to population. By comparison, the UK's medical marijuana program has 850 patients, and Canada's has 1,350. Sixteen US states have approved medical marijuana programs, resulting in tens of thousands of patients, but the United States has no national program. (Times of Israel, March 7)