Pubdate: Sun, 15 Oct 2006
Source: Jerusalem Post (Israel)
Copyright: 2006 The Jerusalem Post
Contact: http://info.jpost.com/C002/Services/Feedback/editors.html
Website: http://www.jpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/516
Author: Sheera Claire Frenkel

'JOINT CONFERENCE' IN J'LEM NEXT WEEK

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  regionaE&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.
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