Knesset committee prohibits dealing with 35 more dangerous synthetic drugs

Committee chairman Likud MK Haim Katz welcomed move but complains that the Israel Police “is not doing enough."

By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
Drugs in Tel Aviv (photo credit: Ben Hartman)
Drugs in Tel Aviv
(photo credit: Ben Hartman)
Thirty-five more dangerous chemicals and chemical “families” used to make drugs sold in kiosks have been made illegal by the Knesset Labor, Social Welfare and Health Committee. Thus, in one blow, the manufacture, import, export, distribution and sale of the chemicals will be prohibited. Most of the drugs have been sold, largely to young people, under the name “Nice Guy.”
The task of outlawing all dangerous synthetic drugs had been complicated by the fact that the chemicals are regularly changed slightly by their developers so their molecular composition does not come under the definition of an illegal drug.
Committee chairman Likud MK Haim Katz welcomed the move on Monday, but he complained that the Israel Police “is not doing enough to completely wipe out the phenomenon of synthetic drugs sold I kiosks. The time has come to wip out those who supply drugs to our children. They are enemies of the state,” Katz said.
Chief superintendent of the police Udi Wolf said, however, that the process of examining the synthetic drugs is long, “and we must be exact in our findings. The courts don’t give us the necessary time.”
Moriah Ben-Tzur, an attorney in the Health Ministry, added that the chemicals are examined by a joint advisory committee of the Health and Justice Ministries and the Israel Police.


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