'Joint Conference' in J'lem Next Week

[DdC]

'Joint Conference' in J'lem Next Week By Sheera Claire Frenkel
CN Source: Jerusalem Post October 15, 2006 Israel

At a time when Palestinians and Israelis appears on the brink of a new cycle of violence one group has found a way to have the two come together for a whole new purpose - the legalization of marijuana.

Aleh Yarok, Israel's branch of the Green Leaf Party, has organized the first ever conference for Palestinians and Israelis to discuss Marijuana Legalization. Scheduled to take place October 25 at the Hebrew University, the day-long event will see speakers from both populations discuss ways in which they can mutually advance their causes.

"There are so many reasons this is important to us, but first and foremost we want to see peace in the region…peace begins with a shared interest to advance certain goals," said Ohad Shem-Tov, the head of Aleh Yarok.

While Israel has emerged as one of the worldwide leaders in the practical application of medical marijuana - last year, a group of doctors at the Sheba Medical Center published findings which suggested that marijuana might be one of the most effective tools in combating head trauma - the issue remains on the fringes of Palestinian society, said Shem-Tov.

"Arab Israeli families are facing more and more problems with drug addictions in the family. They are beginning to feel that changing the laws might make the situation better," said Shem-Tov. "For many reasons this issue is not talked about as much, and there is no party that resembles Aleh Yarok in any Arab country. We feel that by bringing this to Arab individuals we are putting it on the map."

Among the dozen speakers scheduled to address the conference is Harvard Professor Dr. Lester Grinspoon, often referred to as the founder of the medical marijuana movement due to his research in the field during the early 1970s.

"He has somewhat of a cult following," said Michelle Levine, the head of the Aleh Yarok environmental division. Levine invited Grinspoon to address the conference after discovering that the Jewish professor had never visited Israel because he had never been invited to speak at a conference here.

According to Levine, the idea for the conference came after the group first tried to send a letter directly to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

"We wrote the letter, but the day before we could send it Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was kidnapped and we felt that with all the chaos going on it was not likely that our letter would get read," said Levine.

Contact * Website

Dr. Lester Grinspoon
Ale Yarok's Website (in English)

Israel To Soothe Trauma With Marijuana
Pot Shots for Israeli Soldiers
Study: Marijuana Eases Traumatic Memories



Cannabis Culture Sponsors Arab-Israeli Summit
by CC Magazine (17 Sept, 2006)

The escalating conflict in the middle east makes this planned conference more urgent than ever

The First Arab-Israeli Joint Conference on Peace and Drugs Policy
by Marc Emery (19 Sept, 2006)

Marc Emery and Cannabis Culture Magazine are proud to sponsor a Peace Conference bringing Arabs and Jews together in a time of war

Cannabis is a common denominator between diverse cultures and nations. Israel's residents are the prime example of people in conflict, and Jerusalem is at the core of the problem, and possibly also the solution. The conference will bring together Arabs and Jews alike to delve into the various issues related to the legalization of marijuana and industrial hemp.



Letter From Israel - Keep on the Grass By Sylvana Foa 
Village Voice  January 07, 2003 Jaffa
The country is going to pot. No one seems to mind. It makes us feel like we live in a normal 21st-century nation instead of some backward place where two peoples, neither of whom eats pork, kill each other over a piece of scrubby land.



The Scythians: High Plains Drifters by Chris Bennet

The Scythians (as the Greeks referred to them) or Sakas (as the Persians knew them) are believed to have been of Iranian origin. They shared a common language, and maintained well-used trade routes that connected their many distant settlements. A barbaric group of pre-Common Era nomadic tribes who are a fascinating example of an ancient cannabis using group

The Scythians played a very important part in the Ancient World from the seventh to first century BC. They were expert horsemen, and were one of the earliest peoples to master the art of riding and using horse-drawn covered wagons.

This early high mobility is probably why most scholars credit them with the spread of cannabis knowledge throughout the ancient world. Indeed, the Scythian people travelled and settled extensively throughout Europe, the Mediterranean, Central Asia, and Russia, bringing their knowledge of the spiritual and practical uses for cannabis with them.

It could well be that in later times the cannabis smoke had somewhat mellowed the Scythians, and their spiritual leaders directed them towards becoming a more civilized people. The ancient Greek historian Ephorus wrote in the fourth century BC that the Scythians 'feed on mares milk and excel all men in justice'. His comments were followed in the first century BC by Strabo, who wrote that 'we regard the Scythians as the most just of men and the least prone to mischief, as also far more frugal and independent of others than we are.'



Fringe Parties Hope to Woo Israel Voters
The Wrong Drug Front - Ha`aretz Daily
Drug Trade Thrived in Biblical Times

In Hebrew the word for hash also means incense...

Incense, cannibas, is the communion by fire spoken of in the Bible.
Fire is inspiration, and hemp is the incense that brings us closer to GOD.

Just What The Jewish Doctor Ordered

THE NECTAR OF DELIGHT
The Indian vadas sang of Cannabis as one of the divine nectars, able to give man anything from good health and long life to visions of the gods. The Zend-Avesta of 600 B.C. mentions an intoxicating resin, and the Assyrians used Cannabis as an incense as early as the ninth century B.C..

Speaking of the children
Joe Lieberman has taken up with child abuser Mel Sembler, the founder of Straight, Inc.

Straight, Incorporated (Thread)