Israel

Israel is a Middle Eastern country on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, bordered by Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. The world's only predominantly Jewish state, Israel also has a large Arab population. Despite [Page 422]historic and symbolic ties to the ancient country of Israel, modern Israel is a distinct entity, established in 1948.

Before 1967, drug use in Israel was treated tolerantly, dealt with as a medical issue if dealt with at all—drugs were generally considered a matter of personal liberty. The first generation of Israelis were an eclectic bunch from many walks of life, and the country needed to be prepared to continue to accept new residents from all over the world as it struggled to establish and define itself. There was, in any case, little domestic drug use to deal with, most drugs being brought in by nonresident foreigners. After the Six Day War, though, there was a gradual transition toward recognizing social and criminal dimensions of drug use.

Many of the European and American volunteers who came to Israel to work on the Kibbutzim (communes) brought drugs with them, primarily marijuana and hashish, and drug use spread from the volunteers to their Israeli friends, especially young people. As international drug cartels became more powerful, the Israeli government began to consider drug trafficking and the organized crime with which it went hand in hand as threats to Israel's security and the stability of its society. Early anti-drug posters circulated by the Israeli government credited Israel's sobriety with its decisive victory in the Six Day War, pointing out the popularity of hashish smoking in Egypt and the demonstrably poor caliber of is soldiers.

Israel is not a major drug producer: most of its marijuana today is trafficked through Lebanon, its heroin comes from Afghanistan, and the cocaine comes from South America. Israeli cartels are among the world's largest suppliers of ecstasy, however. The first Israeli drug cartels probably began in the 1970s, or perhaps the late 1960s. By 1973, enough violent and petty crimes had been committed by actual or alleged drug addicts to impel the passage of the 1973 Dangerous Drug Ordinance, which was amended in 1979 and 1989. Serious drug offenses, such as trafficking or providing a minor with drugs, are punishable with up to 25 years in prison. The minimum sentences for dealing, depending on the drug and the quantity, vary from two to 10 years. But the courts are granted a great deal of discretion in handling sentencing, and are encouraged to assign mandatory drug treatment rather than prison when the circumstances justify it. First-time juvenile offenders guilty only of possession are rarely prosecuted.