We thought it was a national rite of passage for Israeli soldiers doing their national service to smoke weed. Obviously no longer.
The Jerusalem Post reports
The IDF is cracking down on soldiers who use drugs such as cannabis and has launched a campaign to warn them that use of such drugs will have negative consequences.
“As part of the battle against drug use in the IDF, a reform has been agreed upon to increase measures to fight the phenomenon and will impose sanctions against troops,” the IDF said Monday.
The updated regulations were formulated by a General Staff committee that examined drug use in the army, it said.
Included among the new regulations are the denial of special benefits for combat troops and of demobilization grants that all soldiers receive when they complete their compulsory service.
“The use of drugs in the framework of military service violates the norms and values of the IDF and its mission of protecting the State of Israel,” the IDF said. “The IDF pursues a strict and uncompromising policy toward drug use due to the central role that IDF soldiers and their commanders play in defending the state and its citizens… By virtue of this responsibility while in uniform, troops are committed to a high level of discipline and must maintain constant competence at all times.”
