Minor Drug & Cannabis Offences · Legal briefing
Personal-Use Cannabis: Fines & Exceptions
By Adv. Yechiel Rachamim Menahemov & Adv. Assaf ShpigelPublished:
The practical dilemma
Police find cannabis in your car. Friends say it is legal and can only attract a fine. Is that accurate?
The legal position
Since 2022, an administrative regime covers qualifying personal-use cannabis possession or use, with ordinary fines of NIS 500 and NIS 1,000 for public-place use. The former graduated NIS 1,000/2,000 scheme should not be presented as the general position. Exceptions exist. The 15-gram quantity concerns a rebuttable evidential presumption, not legal permission or an automatic boundary between a fine and trafficking. Official source 1
Your next step
Check the stated offence, enforcement route and payment or trial-request deadlines. Preserve seizure records and circumstances. Seek advice before payment or an account if supply is alleged, an exception applies or the facts are disputed.