Meet the Arab man who I am pretty sure is the only Arab in the entire Middle East who runs a medical cannabis cafe.
Naturally, it is in Israel.
Even Ha’aretz has taken note:
Lahav, 22, lives in Kochav Ya’ir, an upper-middle-class Jewish community next to Tira. For the past three months, he’s been working at Smokey Monkey, learning all about life in the Arab city across the road from his.
“When I started working here, I wasn’t familiar with the difficulties Arab society faces,” he says. “Working here, I got to know the Arab culture much better. At first, people looked at me differently because I’m Jewish. But the situation is different now: I feel connected to the people here, whom I call family.”
Shbeeta says his customers are mostly young men, Arabs and Jews alike. There is a clear dividing line when it comes to the female clientele, though. “Most women who come here are Jewish; Arab women very rarely visit,” he says. “The Arab community still looks differently at women smoking, which in my view doesn’t make sense. If a man can smoke, a woman can too.”
However, he adds that Arab men can also be stigmatized for marijuana usage. “That’s why some choose to do in a more discreet manner,” he explains. “The Arab community lacks awareness on medical marijuana and its benefits. The mind-set is still that if you smoke weed, you’re doing hard drugs.”
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He continues: “Arab society is complex and can be highly conservative,” noting that in more traditional Arab communities such as Kafr Qasem and Umm al-Fahm, he wouldn’t have been able to open such an establishment. “The situation in Tira is different as it’s a larger place surrounded by Jewish neighbors. The mind-set is more open.”
I wonder how the haters are going to spin this against Israel, given the term “greenwashing” has already been taken.
Hat tip: Michal
