Imagine you’re walking down the street. It seems like a fairly normal day. Feels a bit hotter than usual, but nothing to signal the onset of rain. Then, to your surprise, rain does come. You feel the drops on your arms and neck, but they feel sharper and heavier than usual. You look at the ground, and notice the concrete isn’t wet. Instead, little packets have littered the floor, and more fall out from the sky. You pick up the packet, only to realise there’s weed inside. This is exactly what the residents of Tel Aviv faced this weekend.
Here’s what happened.
According to the Jerusalem Post, the pouches were dropped by the “green drone” Telegram group, which advocates for legalisation of cannabis in Israel, with “free love” being the group’s slogan. The group has even assured that this was just the start of the “rain of cannabis” and that there’s more to come.
“It’s time my dear brothers. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s the green drone, handing out free cannabis from the sky… Enjoy my beloved brothers, this is your pilot brother, making sure we all get some free love,” they said in their message.
Israeli Police have arrested two suspects for the disposal of the weed pouches, and further investigation is currently taking place.
“The distribution of a suspected narcotic substance is considered as trafficking a dangerous drug in all respects and the arrested suspects will be investigated accordingly,” a police spokesperson said.
Marijuana possession is currently partially decriminalised in Israel in the case of small amounts, but distribution still remains a punishable and criminal offense. According to Reuters, medical use of marijuana is legally allowed in Israel, while recreational use is illegal but has been largely decriminalised.