israel dope dealers boost business
Last Updated : GMT 09:03:51
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
Last Updated : GMT 09:03:51
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today

With high tech smokescreen

Israel dope dealers boost business

Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today

Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Israel dope dealers boost business

There is a certain level of tolerance
Jerusalem - Al Maghrib Today

It only takes a tap on a smartphone to reveal it: a world of dealers posting photos of their products and promises of top-quality marijuana.

"It's like e-bay," one Israeli user, who declined to give his name, told AFP. "Thousands of pictures of weed."

Telegrass, an Israeli platform for drug-dealing, has won praise from its users but sparked alarm among drug counsellors and police.

 

Amos Dov Silver, a 33-year-old Israeli, founded it in March as a channel on the encrypted messaging app Telegram.

A dual Israel-US citizen, he now lives in the United States "for fear that he'll be arrested" in Israel, according to Haaretz newspaper.

Telegrass lets sellers list their wares and prices, exchanging self-deleting messages with buyers to set up deliveries.

"We don't know exactly how many people are using the platform, however we have over 100,000 registered users," Silver told AFP in an online chat. "We will have better statistics in the future."

The platform is in Hebrew, as is Silver's open Facebook page, which hosts general discussions and news on marijuana-related issues and says it has 22,442 followers.

"Ground zero is Israel and therefore we work mostly there. However we plan to grow internationally in the future," he said.

- 'A phenomenon' -

The Israeli buyer, who asked to be identified only by the initial J, said the platform creates a marketplace "where you can buy weed and its products anonymously online with small risk" and with a wide range of product choices.

He added that the communal nature of Telegrass gives individual buyers a degree of security.

"If you get screwed by a seller -- you pay for five grams of weed and he only gives you three -- you have someone to go to," he said.

Sellers have to undergo identity checks to be able to post, he said.

"Their details are in the hands of the people who run the system" and they can sanction rogue dealers by removing them from the service, thereby hitting their trade, he said.

J added that while the buyer must identify him or herself to the seller, the latter has a strong interest in deleting that information after the transaction is completed so as not to leave evidence.

Israel police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said that online drug trafficking was a "phenomenon" in Israel, although he did not comment specifically on Telegrass.

"Police are taking action against individuals who use apps to try and buy and sell mainly marijuana," he told AFP.

"We're tracking phone devices and individuals who are trying to make transactions and arrests are made accordingly."

Silver describes himself as a marijuana legalisation activist who is not in it for financial gain.

"The motivation is 100 percent ideological and the goal is legalisation," he said. "I get a basic living income."

Telegram did not respond to a request for comment.

- 'Robin Hood of cannabis' -

There is a certain level of tolerance for marijuana use in Israel, with the government in March approving a plan to partially decriminalise it in favour of fines and treatment.

The plan, based on recommendations from a committee set up to study the issue, applies only to instances of personal use. Producing, selling and buying cannabis would remain criminal offences.

The plan has yet to be implemented, but Orit Sternberg, of the Israel Anti-Drug Authority, said that the publicity surrounding it created a public perception that legalisation was just around the corner.

She told AFP that it was no coincidence that Silver launched Telegrass at exactly the same time.

"He exploited the momentum in a very clear and commercial way," she said.

"Although there was absolutely no change in legislation, young people understood that it was alright and he is riding that wave."

Opponents of Telegrass say it lulls both sellers and buyers into a false sense of security, arguing that the pre-deal identity checks required of both sides leave them open to blackmail and extortion.

Silver's supporters retort that setting up transactions online in advance is less hazardous than trusting chance encounters in clubs or on the streets.

Sternberg said Silver "is becoming a kind of hero... the Robin Hood of cannabis, as if he is giving them a safer and better life."

Source: AFP

almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday

GMT 10:09 2018 Friday ,19 January

Police raid France's Lactalis

GMT 14:20 2018 Thursday ,18 January

Suppressing a sneeze can be dangerous

GMT 12:23 2018 Wednesday ,17 January

Populists target vaccine decree

GMT 12:39 2018 Tuesday ,16 January

Lactalis feels heat as families rebuff

GMT 12:01 2018 Monday ,15 January

Embattled dairy chief breaks silence

GMT 11:26 2018 Sunday ,14 January

One separated Gaza twin dies

GMT 11:31 2018 Saturday ,13 January

France laments 'dysfunction'

GMT 09:22 2018 Friday ,12 January

Cancer shatters gay marriage dreams
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

israel dope dealers boost business israel dope dealers boost business

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

israel dope dealers boost business israel dope dealers boost business

 



Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Skincare PR Performance Full Year 2017

GMT 09:22 2018 Monday ,22 January

Skincare PR Performance Full Year 2017
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today New hunt for flight MH370 gets under way

GMT 11:03 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

New hunt for flight MH370 gets under way
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Modern colorful bedroom renovation

GMT 10:57 2017 Thursday ,21 December

Modern colorful bedroom renovation
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Puigdemont candidate for Catalan president

GMT 13:56 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Puigdemont candidate for Catalan president
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Turkey detains dozens more

GMT 10:47 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

Turkey detains dozens more
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today The Rake announces editorial updates

GMT 10:46 2018 Tuesday ,16 January

The Rake announces editorial updates
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Europe brings on charm and blue skies

GMT 11:51 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Europe brings on charm and blue skies
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today For the Variety of Interior Design Styles

GMT 10:46 2017 Tuesday ,19 December

For the Variety of Interior Design Styles
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today US Christian tourists see deep meaning

GMT 13:44 2018 Monday ,22 January

US Christian tourists see deep meaning
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Amazon to open first cashierless shop

GMT 10:03 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Amazon to open first cashierless shop

GMT 16:05 2015 Thursday ,26 February

Egypt, South Sudan to launch campaign to fund Waw Dam

GMT 15:01 2017 Monday ,13 November

Switzerland edge out Northern Ireland

GMT 23:12 2015 Monday ,07 September

Moussa participates in annual forum at Salzburg

GMT 04:45 2012 Friday ,12 October

Hezbollah role in Syria grows more evident

GMT 01:42 2014 Sunday ,16 February

Posting links to freely available to legal Web

GMT 08:56 2016 Wednesday ,05 October

Rough times for Saudi retail

GMT 06:59 2017 Wednesday ,01 February

Bayern Munich's Ribery out of action

GMT 19:36 2011 Monday ,25 April

KSE index ends day in green

GMT 00:40 2012 Sunday ,08 July

An Alaska women’s shelter can reopen

GMT 17:43 2012 Thursday ,29 November

Scolari returns as Brazil coach

GMT 08:48 2017 Wednesday ,14 June

Qatar keep FIFA World Cup hopes alive

GMT 11:45 2012 Tuesday ,11 December

Hawa al-Tagtaga remembered

GMT 12:06 2011 Saturday ,11 June

William in first Trooping parade

GMT 15:49 2012 Wednesday ,15 August

Lindsay Lohan in skimpy bikini

GMT 15:15 2016 Wednesday ,24 August

Deal puts Microsoft apps on Lenovo phones

GMT 14:52 2011 Friday ,08 July

Energy cuts will avoid wastage

GMT 12:25 2014 Wednesday ,03 December

The New York hotel that will host the royal couple

GMT 12:24 2012 Sunday ,01 July

Salvatore Ferragamo: Eyewear collection
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
 
 Almaghrib Today Facebook,almaghrib today facebook  Almaghrib Today Twitter,almaghrib today twitter Almaghrib Today Rss,almaghrib today rss  Almaghrib Today Youtube,almaghrib today youtube  Almaghrib Today Youtube,almaghrib today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

.almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday almaghribtoday almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
almaghribtoday, Almaghribtoday, Almaghribtoday