The disclosure will cost him dearly: Education Minister Shai Piron admitted about two weeks ago on a children's program broadcast on educational television that he takes Ritalin in difficult moments.
On the show, Piron said: "I recently traveled to Poland and we arrived at a very important and very boring ceremony, and I didn't know how I was going to sit for three hours in the freezing cold, with a language I don't understand, and I also have to sit in the front row, like a minister." Then he revealed: "I'm not ashamed to say that if I have to take Ritalin or some other pill on very special days, I'm not ashamed to use it.".
The Minister of Education clarified that he does not use Ritalin on a daily basis, but said that in difficult moments, he also uses the pills. "I don't use it every day, but there are days when I am aware of the difficulty, and to cope with the feeling - I use Ritalin. Being a whole person means recognizing the fact that you also have shortcomings and in these moments knowing how to use what is needed...""
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Following these words, Piron was criticized for taking the pills from his children - but the criticism did not end in strong responses.
According to the Walla website, yesterday, a law student from the central region, Shmulik Lazarovich, filed a police complaint against Piron for using Ritalin, a drug intended to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, without a prescription. He said that when an education minister commits an offense, he cannot be immune from punishment.
Lazarovitz's lawyer, Yehondev Bar-Oz, explained: "The complaint was filed by a concerned citizen, a man of principles. This is an offense under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, which carries a three-year prison sentence or a substantial fine, for which any citizen of the community could have found themselves on trial. At least according to the plan in question, the Minister of Education both does not respect the law and turns a blind eye to prohibitions in the field of drugs.".
The police confirmed to the Walla website that the complaint was filed.
Minister Piron refused to comment.
