Middle
East:
Now,
Israelis
Call
for
Boycott
of
Hezbollah
Hashish
8/11/06
https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle-old/448/israeli_boycott_of_hezbollah_hashish.shtml
Israeli drug users have long been happy to puff on Lebanese hashish, but now, as war between the two countries rages, some are calling for a boycott because the cross-border trade helps finance Hezbollah, The Jewish Daily Forward reported Thursday. Hashish is the most popular form of marijuana in Israel, and Lebanon is the number one supplier, according to Israeli law enforcement.
The boycott call came from activist and Jerusalem resident Dan Sieradski, who posted the idea on his Orthodox Anarchist blog. "A Persian-backed terrorist organization is the primary supplier of hashish to the Israeli market today," Sieradski wrote. "And this is why, with a heavy heart, I am officially boycotting hashish, effective immediately."
Hashish grown in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley has traditionally been smuggled into Israel by Israeli Arabs, Bedouins, and Druze nomads, but the Forward reports that since Israel withdrew from Lebanon in 2000, Hezbollah has taken over the trade -- and the associated profits. "Hezbollah is directly overseeing the entire operation," Police Captain Avi ElGrisi was quoted as saying in The Jerusalem Post. "They say where, when, and how much drugs are brought in."
Sieradski's call has met with mixed results. For some Israeli hash heads, the boycott is a way of expressing their dismay at the war and Hezbollah's relentless rocket attacks on Israel. "The thing is, if you buy your drugs from Lebanon, you could well be funding terrorism through Hezbollah against Israel," one user commented. "Who among us would want that on their conscience? Not me!" Another young boycotter commented: "It's bad enough that they're trying to blow up our country. I'm not going to pay them to do it."
Not everyone is on board. The Forward quoted one Jerusalem area dealer as saying, "It all comes from Hezbollah," but he could care less. His comment on the boycott? "Roll that shit, light that shit, smoke that shit."
The boycott call has also prompted some to argue that it is time to legalize the hash trade in order to weaken Hezbollah. As long as there are illicit profits to be made, it's money in the bank for the Shiite resistance organization, they noted.
The boycott call may also be an expression of the reality on the ground inside Israel. With the Lebanon-Israel border the scene of heavy fighting, it is questionable just how much Lebanese hash is getting through right now.
-- END --
Issue #448
-- 8/11/06
Editorial:
Legalize
the
Drug
Trade
to
Cut
Off
Terrorism
Funding
|
Feature:
South
Dakota
Medical
Marijuana
Patient
Sues
Attorney
General
Over
Bad
Ballot
Summary
Language
|
Feature:
Federal
Sentencing
Reform
Goes
NASCAR
|
Feature:
Signature
Drive
for
Portland
"Lowest
Priority"
Marijuana
Initiative
Falls
Short
|
Law
Enforcement:
This
Week's
Corrupt
Cops
Stories
|
Marijuana:
Colorado
Legalization
Backers
Turn
in
110,000
Signatures
in
Ballot
Bid
|
Marijuana:
Michigan
Organizers
Hand
in
Signatures
for
Two
Local
Ballot
Initiatives
|
Medical
Marijuana:
AFSCME
Endorses
Medical
Marijuana
|
Harm
Reduction:
Boston
About
to
Move
to
Supply
Addicts
with
Heroin
Antidote
|
Methamphetamine:
Tennessee
Judge
Throws
Out
Manufacture
Precursor
Cases
|
Middle
East:
Now,
Israelis
Call
for
Boycott
of
Hezbollah
Hashish
|
Web
Scan:
New
Video
from
"Emperor
Of
Hemp"
Creator,
Jim
Hightower
on
Marijuana
War,
Spitzer
Flakes
on
Medical
Marijuana
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