Ex-police officer backs pot legalization
Former head of police investigation unit Boaz Guttman voices surprise support in Ale Yarok party which advocates marijuana legalization in Israel
Guttman, who was discharged from duty six years ago, said that after reading the party's platform he realized it best represented his political views.
"I discovered that the issue of drug legalization represents just a part of the party's ideas. For years I refrained from voting because I had no faith in the large parties," he said.
According to Guttman, "Ale Yarok doesn't plan to take a truckload of drugs and pour it on the streets. They support the same soft drug supervision policy exercised in advanced countries like Belgium. The program for soft drugs is not the basis for the party's platform," he said.
"For 50 years my vote went down the drain, today I want to afford myself the luxury of voting for the party that I identify with the most," he explained.
'Reality today is different'
When asked how a former police officer feels about supporting a party that promotes the legalization of drugs, Guttman said he felt "great," adding that today the reality is different, and that the police and the IDF have also revised their attitude toward marijuana users in recent years.
Responding to this unexpected show of support, Ale Yarok Chairman Boaz Wachtel said that in many states, the police are the ones spearheading the demand for a reform in the drug policy.
"We in Ale Yarok are happy with attorney Guttman's support and hope he is the harbinger of a beginning of an understanding in the Israeli governmental system regarding the importance of reform that will be lead by Ale Yarok, in this field, as well as in others," Wachtel stated.
