Welcome To Israel’s Most Unusual Medical Marijuana Shop
Smokey Monkey opened about seven months ago on one of Tira’s main streets
After two years working as a nurse in a psychiatric hospital, Karam Shbeeta wanted something different in life. So he decided to open up a marijuana coffee shop in the Arab-Israeli city of Tira.
This was not an obvious career choice: places dedicated to smoking and purchasing marijuana in broad daylight are rare in Israel’s Arab society, where conservative views still prevail when it comes to the “devil’s lettuce.”
Tira, located 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of Tel Aviv, has high youth unemployment and has also endured high crime rates in recent years. It can be a stressful place for residents and visitors alike, and is unlikely to ever be mistaken for Amsterdam. But on a recent visit to Shbeeta’s coffee shop, everything is calmness personified.
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