Green Leaf – more commonly known as the “Pot Party” - said that it had plenty of information about Knesset members who smoke cannabis products, and they intended to reveal that information in the near future. A spokesperson for the party, which is officially known as “Green Leaf/Liberal List,” said that the party planned to “rip away the mask of hypocrisy from 18 candidates for the Knesset - 14 of them currently serving - who have in the past used or purchased marijuana.”
The party, which has run in several Knesset elections, advocates full legalization of marijuana, although it draws the line at “harder” drugs, like hashish or heroin.
Speaking for the party, Yaron Lerman, number one on the list, called on “all candidates and current Knesset members who use marijuana, or who have used it in the past, to quickly own up to their actions and explain to the public why it is necessary to hurt the reputations of marijuana users by supporting criminal penalties against them, but why that does not apply to them.”
Dr. Michael Golan, number six on the list, said that “the information we have shows a high level of hypocricy, but we are not surprised. There are many Israelis who use marijuana, which indicates that most feel that banning it is unjust. The worst part is the fact that there 100,000 sick people who are unable to get marijuana to help them.
“When we enter the Knesset, we, together with members of the Liberal List, will grow cannabis plants in our Knesset office and distribute them for free to those who have sought to get medical marijuana but were denied by the Health Ministry.” As Knesset members, the members of the party would be immune to prosecution from a wide range of crimes, although legal experts said it was unclear whether this would apply to marijuana distribution.