News of small-time cannabis bust in Golan village of Bnei Yehuda unpopular on force's Facebook page.
By YAAKOV LAPPINSeized Marijuana Pot plants 311(photo credit: Courtesy: Israel Police)
The report of a recent Golan Heights cannabis bust that the Israel Police posted on its official Facebook page – which has almost 65,000 followers – may have undone some of the efforts the force has been making to improve its image via social media.“The grass is greener on the other side,” began the police entry describing how officers searching a home in the Golan village of Bnei Yehuda noticed cannabis plants growing freely in a neighbor’s yard. Officers took away the plants, as well as seeds, a kilogram of dried marijuana and smoking paraphernalia they found.
The responses? “A waste of police time,” wrote one follower named Tom. His reply received 27 Likes.“Again you’re doing bad things. Please go back to helping the public that pays your salaries, and stop harassing us,” wrote Eli. “This man did not harm a living soul.”“I feel like crying; what a waste of stuff,” wrote Tzippi.“The time has come for this godly plant to be made legal.”Other users, like Itzik, presented legal arguments against the raid.“The state prosecution has made it clear it will not prosecute cannabis users.... So why do you continue to search for small quantities?” he asked. “To me, this looks like harassment, and it’s one of the reasons why public opinion of the police is so low. And it’s a shame, because if we put this lack of logic aside, I’m proud of you.”
