Section 6 of the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance prohibits the cultivation, manufacture, and production of dangerous drugs without a license, and sets a penalty of up to 20 years' imprisonment, identical to the penalty for trafficking.
What does the Drugs Ordinance provide?
Section 6 of the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance prohibits the cultivation, manufacture, and production of dangerous drugs without a license, and sets a penalty of up to 20 years' imprisonment, identical to the penalty for trafficking. The law does not distinguish between an industrial greenhouse and a single pot on a balcony: any cultivation of a cannabis plant without a license is ostensibly an offense carrying a maximum penalty of 20 years. In practice, the crucial distinction is between cultivation for personal use and cultivation for trafficking purposes.
Cultivation for personal use: the decisive distinction
Case law and prosecution guidelines recognize that limited home cultivation for personal use is materially different from commercial cultivation. The parameters examined are: the number of plants, cultivation equipment (lighting, irrigation, fans), packaging and weights, sales correspondence, and the quantity of produce. A single cultivation without indications of trafficking may end in lenient punishment and even in arrangements without conviction; a sophisticated greenhouse will be classified as a drug operation. The classification of the case is determined to a large extent during the investigation, and therefore the first version is critical.
How are people caught?
Cultivation cases are usually opened due to unusual electricity consumption, odor, neighbors' complaints, intelligence information, or aerial photographs. The police arrive with a search warrant, uproot the plants, and weigh them gross, including stems, roots, and soil, which inflates the weight in the indictment. Challenging the weighing and demanding the net weight of the active substance alone is a defense tool that changes cases.
Legal representation
Israel Arama, formerly of the Tel Aviv District Attorney's Office, represents suspects and defendants in drug cultivation and production offenses, and works to classify the case as personal use and to challenge the evidence. Contact us for an initial consultation without obligation before the interrogation.
What does the Drugs Ordinance provide?
Section 6 of the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance prohibits the cultivation, manufacture, and production of dangerous drugs without a license, and sets a penalty of up to 20 years' imprisonment, identical to the penalty for trafficking. The law does not distinguish between an industrial greenhouse and a single pot on a balcony: any cultivation of a cannabis plant without a license is ostensibly an offense carrying a maximum penalty of 20 years. In practice, the crucial distinction is between cultivation for personal use and cultivation for trafficking purposes.
Cultivation for personal use: the decisive distinction — what is important to know?
Case law and prosecution guidelines recognize that limited home cultivation for personal use is materially different from commercial cultivation. The parameters examined are: the number of plants, cultivation equipment (lighting, irrigation, fans), packaging and weights, sales correspondence, and the quantity of produce. A single cultivation without indications of trafficking may end in lenient punishment and even in arrangements without conviction; a sophisticated greenhouse will be classified as a drug operation. The classification of the case is determined to a large extent during the investigation, and therefore the first version is critical.
How are people caught?
Cultivation cases are usually opened due to unusual electricity consumption, odor, neighbors' complaints, intelligence information, or aerial photographs. The police arrive with a search warrant, uproot the plants, and weigh them gross, including stems, roots, and soil, which inflates the weight in the indictment. Challenging the weighing and demanding the net weight of the active substance alone is a defense tool that changes cases.
This information is for initial orientation about the service and contact process. It is not individual legal advice.
Initial call No obligation