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Marijuana has been on the Israeli scene since at least 1964,
when Israeli chemist, Rafael Mechoulam,
first isolated THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.
In 1992, Mechoulam discovered the naturally occurring brain chemical
whose effect THC mimics, and named it Anandamide,
after the Sanscrit word for "bliss."
And in 1998, Israel joined the ranks of the United States, Britain,
and other countries, in legalizing the medicinal use of marijuana.
There are 700 patients now being treated
with medical marijuana in Israel. Fifty percent of the patients get it
because of malignant tumors. Another twenty-five percent get it
due to chronic pain.
And a small but crucial trial program treats post-traumatic stress
in victims of car accidents,
but also war veterans and terror victims.
We have now about 40 patients receiving it due to PTSD,
and we're still studying the beneficial effects of marijuana on those patients.
A few patients grow their marijuana themselves,
but most get it from one of five certified growers like Yohai Gild,
who perfected his techniques while living in California.
Yohai encounters some of the same negative attitudes
one can find anywhere in the world.
Mothers throw shoes at me, "Get the drug dealer out of the house!"
And then two weeks later, they welcome me in, and cook me food,
and tell me I'm their God/Savior,
because their husband is eating, and he's walking around.
This 83-year-old man has cancer.
He's in Yohai's office, smoking marijuana for the first time
to counteract the nausea and pain associated
with his cancer and chemotherapy.
I often have food that comes up.
Yes, it will help you keep more things in your stomach.
How much should I smoke in one day?
From 3-5 joints a day. Some people smoke more, some less.
Smoke as much as you need.
This is the man's home aide.
I'll show you how to make the tea, and I'll also make you some powder
to bake cookies with. And I'll do that next week.
But smoking it is the best way, it's the fastest way.
So we'll start with them showing you how to roll, so you know how.
Yohai's own certification for using medical cannabis is for PTSD,
due to his experiencing a suicide bombing in Jerusalem.
I was in a bombing in the Midrachov, in '96.
My neighbor, a friend, she was, I think, 12 or 13.
She ran up in front of me. When she ran up in front of me,
the place in front of her blew up. She got blown to bits,
and I was in shock, and everyone started running up.
And there was another explosion. I turned around to help somebody,
and they didn't have an arm. And I just fell to the ground.
Within 8 months, I was out of Israel.
I still haven't been on a bus, since then.
It's not a fun thing. But for years I couldn't see gory movies,
I couldn't see blood.
I cut myself here, and I fainted and cut my head open,
because I saw the blood on my finger.
Research is still being done on exactly how marijuana helps PTSD.
We know that marijuana disrupts memory.
Marijuana disrupts the emotional meaning of the memory.
And by doing so, disrupts the memory itself.
Usually it's a side effect, even an unwanted side effect.
But maybe, in post-traumatic stress disorder patients,
it's a desired effect.
Like in most countries around the world,
marijuana is illegal for recreational use.
Much of the marijuana and hashish is smuggled in from Lebanon,
from the fertile Bekaa Valley, where marijuana and *** poppies
have been grown since at least Roman times.
According to the Israeli military, the northern Bekaa is now controlled
by Hezbollah, and the 19 thwarted attempts at smuggling hashish,
*** and *** across the border with Lebanon last year,
are an official "indirect war" fought against Israel.
Israel's Anti-Drug Authority has taken advantage of Hezbollah's
connection to drug smuggling
in this poster, where Nasrallah, Israel's nemesis,
is rising, like a genie, out of a ***.
The poster says,
"Hezbollah is planning to flood Israel with narcotics.
Whoever uses drugs is helping the next terrorist attack."
Perhaps because of the controversial nature of the subject,
and its perceived connection to security,
the Israeli police spokesperson
refused to be interviewed for this video.
Ale Yarok, or the "Green Leaf" political party,
believes legalizing marijuana would solve many of Israel's problems.
Ale Yarok has tried unsuccessfully for the last 10 years
to get enough votes to qualify for a seat in Israel's parliament.
In preparation for the 2009 elections,
they drafted Gil Kopatch, a well-known comedian and musician,
to be their new chairman.
The election is actually already decided.
I don't mean that Bibi, or Tzipi, or Kipi (Big Bird) will be Prime Minister.
I mean that for the whole generation of young people,
this election doesn't interest their ***.
Kopatch made a series of commercials that ran in the months
before the election.
In the most notorious one, Gil sits on the grave of David Ben Gurion,
Israel's first Prime Minister.
He refers to what will happen if marijuana is completely legalized,
and smugglers no longer bring hashish and marijuana in
from Lebanon and Egypt.
The only question: what will Hamas and Hezbollah do with all the hashish
that they're stuck with? Simple answer: they'll smoke it.
They'll smoke it, David, and they'll relax.
And a good Arab is a relaxed Arab.
That's my security plan.
Ale Yarok once again didn't get enough votes to qualify
for a seat in the parliament.
Although their 13,000 votes were more than 8 other small parties got.
I would say, 60% of the country smokes pot, and 40% is very square.
It's a very Yes and No. A very, very large amount of Israelis
smoke marijuana, to relax, to calm down, to get rid of
the Israeli buzz of everything being fast and crazy here.