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Shell shocked Israel is getting ready for their election in about a week and a half. There are many serious issues on the table: war, terrorism, corruption, economic crisis and weed.

Que? Mari--juana?

Yep, the rising Green Leaf Party in Israel might pick up between 2-12 seats. That's a lot for pushing pot politics in a country that's running scared. Between not knowing if the next bus they take will blow up and killing their neighbors with helicopter gunships, I bet they need a little hashish and marijuana just to relax. It may not be the answer to all their problems, but the problems will undoubtedly seem farther away when they're laughing uncontrollably while wrestling over the bag of Doritos. Why the hell not?

The Village Voice: Features: Letter From Israel: Keep on the Grass by Sylvana Foa

...Marijuana has been a medicine-chest staple in this area for centuries. A few years ago, Israeli scientists found cannabis residue with the skeleton of a young Jerusalem girl who evidently died in childbirth 1600 years ago.

The scientists said the marijuana was probably used by the midwife to ease the girl's pain.

Israelis are very fond of ancient lore, and of traditional medicines in particular. According to the Israeli Anti-Drug Authority, there is a market for about 25 tons of marijuana and hashish every year in Israel.

Green Leaf, which says it will pay for all those extra social welfare programs with taxes on grass, is growing by leaps and bounds thanks to the rising contempt of young voters for the existing political establishment.

The polls show the party winning between two and eight seats in the 120-seat Knesset. That may not seem like many to you, but pollsters say Sharon is unlikely to win more than 35 seats, which means he will be scrounging around for coalition partners when he tries to form a government. With eight seats, Green Leaf could write its own ticket.

Green Leaf has a modest proposal for dealing with an Iraqi nerve gas attack. Instead of injecting ourselves in the thigh with the drug atropine that comes with gas mask kits, Green Leaf suggests that citizens might simply light a joint, lie back, and enjoy the show.

Green Leaf cites research conducted by the U.S. Army and the Israel-based Pharmos Corporation. Rats were exposed to nerve gas and then injected with dexanabinol, a synthetic substitute for hashish. The army tests reportedly showed that the injection reduced brain damage by more than 70 percent.

Green Leaf says that what a synthetic will do, the real stuff can do better. It's demanding that the Israeli army consider providing the population with this natural antidote. The grass, Green Leaf says, could come from confiscated dope stored in police warehouses. And there is said to be tons of it. Just one toke should do the trick, so there'd be plenty to go around....