Pubdate: Mon, 09 May 2005
Source: Ha'aretz (Israel)
Copyright: 2005 Ha'aretz Daily Newspaper Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.haaretz.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/807
Author: Tamara Traubman
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?420 (Cannabis - Popular)

TEL AVIVIANS PICNIC ON THE GRASS ON INTERNATIONAL MARIJUANA DAY

Thousands of people gathered at Hayarkon Park in Tel Aviv yesterday to
take part in the International Marijuana Day picnic and call for the
legalization of marijuana.

"This is a day of protest, to show how peaceful, unaggressive and
law-abiding the people who support legalization are," said Lior
Lubelski, one of the organizers.

The event was far from being a potheads' convention, but rather
resembled a picnic of Tel Avivians enjoying a sunny day on the grass.
Instead of joints, reefers and bongs, there was sunshine, dub and
reggae music and a few speeches.

MK Roman Bronfman (Yahad), one of the speakers at the event, spoke out
against the police's drug policy, which he said did more harm than
good.

He called to "decriminalize" marijuana use. "The present situation is
absurd," he said. "About a million people smoke grass, and according
to the law they're all criminals."

He urged the police to stop persecuting soft drug users and focus on
drug trafficking, which has a turnover of billions of dollars a year.
He suggested adopting the drug policy of certain progressive states,
which consists of providing reliable information about drug hazards
and distinguishing between hard and soft drugs.

The organizers, who belong to the Coalition of Drug Reform Organizers
in Israel, blasted the police for harassing people who smoke marijuana
but do not trade in it. They said police start procedures against some
13,000 of them annually.

International Marijuana Day was first celebrated in 1969 in New York,
with a protest march against the prohibition on using cannabis. Tel
Aviv marked the event for the eighth consecutive year yesterday. A
simultaneous picnic was held in Jerusalem's Sacher Park.

Last year the police raided the park a few hours after the picnic
began.

"All the undercover cops that were here last year are here again
today," Lubelski said, looking around.

This time organizers asked the participants to refrain from bringing
substances categorized as illegal. Anyone observed holding prohibited
material was asked politely not to use it until returning home.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Richard Lake