Could Legalizing Hash Reap Good For Egypt?

*This is the longer unedited version of a piece that ran earlier on StepFeed.com on April 7th at 3:26pm*

Legislative reform has been a window of hope for many Egyptians since the eruption of the revolution in 2011; a glimpse of hope that was renewed with the formation of the supreme legislative reform committee decreed by president Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi in August 2014.

The committee, headed by Egypt’s Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab, has been looking into several reform proposals. Among the recent proposals is one that calls for legalizing the use and trade of hashish in Egypt which was presented by the Cigarette Dealers Association in Cairo and Giza.

According to the 2013 report issued by the National Council for Battling Addiction, drug use among people aged 15 and above has rocketed from 6.4 percent to 30 percent since 2011.

While many people may think of this proposal as a joke, the fact remains that it affects almost one thirds of Egyptians who smoke hashish. Upon speaking with a few hashish smokers, it was clear that they unanimously hoped for this proposal to pass as a law, but each had a different take on the matter.

“It is absurd. The government will never openly legalize hash,” expressed a 26-year-old who has been smoking recreationally for four years. “The government makes a lot of money off the trade of hash, and they wouldn’t just cut it off.”

Referring to the case of one of the biggest hashish traders in Egypt, Nagah, who was released with a fine, the 26-year-old believes it’s quite obvious that there are agreements between the government and the hashish traders.

“Even if it is a legalized, there will still be the social taboo which I don’t think will elevate easily,” he adds. “I wouldn’t be worried when I smoke that I may get arrested, but I certainly won’t be able to openly tell my mother about it.”

Yet a deeper concern remains for the 26-year-old, that if hashish is legalized among adults, it will find its way more easily to the younger teenagers and even children.

For another 26-year-old smoker who works in the music industry, he was both worrisome and skeptical about the idea of legalizing hashish. “If the government legalizes it, and enforces restrictions on the market, many dealers will be jobless because the government doesn’t secure decent jobs for them,” he speculated. “Everything seems to backfire in Egypt somehow!”

Furthermore, he expects that should the proposal be passed on as a law, it’s more likely to be bait that the government is setting to orchestrate a crisis and blame it on legalizing hashish.

“They might as well just legalize it. Everyone already smokes up,” was the instant response of 28-year-old woman who’s been smoking for 6 years.

“I know it used to be normal back in the seventies in Egypt, because my grandfather used to smoke until my grandmother forced him to stop when the government started being strict about hash,” she added. “I even heard rumors that Sadat himself used to smoke hash.”

One reason the young woman was hopeful for such law to be passed was to ensure the market starts offering better quality hashish. “The hash available in Egypt is never pure HTC,” she remarked. “When I tried hash in Morocco, the quality and purity difference was instantly obvious.”

In addition to her hope for better quality on the market, the hopeful 28-year-old who is also a multiple sclerosis (MS) patient shed light on the various medical benefits of hashish. “I heard it’s good for MS, and quite relieving for the numbness,” she commented. “It’s not all about getting high.”

The many benefits of hemp, or cannabis, may come in secondary importance to some smokers, but to one 28-year-old, it was the center of his attention. And it wasn’t just learning about the many industrial, nutrition and economic benefits of hemp that the 28-year-old delved into. “I have been reading about gardening and studying it for seven years to be able to grow my own weed,” he said. 

The seven-year-journey of learning gardening made him fall in love with all that is green, and he now plants a lot more than just weed, remarking that he loves planting flowers as well.

“To me, growing my own weed is a similar approach to those who prefer to buy organic vegetables,” he remarked. “This way, I’m sure of what I’m smoking, and I know that it’s pure HTC.”

For him, legalizing the trade and use of hashish is a decision that would loosen up many dire challenges in Egypt. “Can you imagine the amount of people who are imprisoned because they were smoking or trading in hash? Not to mention the amount of money and court cases spent on similar cases,” he added, commenting that those were all wasted resourced that could be better utilized if hashish were legal.

He also added that legalizing hash will allow Egypt to produce better quality cannabis and even export it. Not to mention the amount of tax money which they can make of such trade. “It would solve a lot of Egypt’s economic problems in a really short duration.”

The similar idea was suggested as Osama Salama, chair of the Cigarette Dealers Association, presented the legislative reform committee with the hashish legalization proposal.

“The illegal trading of hashish amounts to LE42 billion (USD 5.5 bn) annually, which constitutes 2.5 percent of the national income,” said Salama. “The government spends LE1 billion (app. USD 131 million) every year to fight it, only managing to uncover around 15 percent the total traded amount.”

While many hashish smokers found the news about the proposal to be uplifting and hopeful, the news wasn’t surprising for the 24-year-old computer science engineer who co-founded the Egyptian Campaign for Legalizing Hashish on Facebook.

“After the revolution in 2011, anything was possible, and we thought it was a great chance to start the campaign,” says the 24-year-old. The campaign was originally launched to raise awareness about the medical and scientific benefits of hashish. “We also wanted to educate people about what they were smoking, and how to avoid any harmful attempts.”

But as he mentions, people weren’t much drawn to the scientific and informative content that they shared, so they started posting more humorous content instead.

The 24-year-old brought to light the two stages that this proposal may lead to if considered. “It can either be decriminalize, which will make way for growing hemp for medical and industrial purposes, or fully legalized which would allow use and trade of hashish.”

While certain that legalizing hashish will reap many benefits for the country, he was quite doubtful that such law would be passed. “Given the political turmoil that the country has been going through, the people would be outraged if they wake up to such decision,” he commented, “they believe there are much more important stuff that needs to be attended to now.”

But between hope and skepticism, there remains a hope for the day when Egypt would join all the foreign countries who gained a lot by legalizing hashish.

The Most Marvelous Of All Books (A Kids' Tale)

*During the year when I was a preschool teacher, I wrote the following short story. It is worthy to note that I scribbled it down in 30 minutes, and that it was intended for a condensed week about reading at the preschool.*

Once upon a time, there was a magical book; a book that was like no other you have ever seen. With interesting stories and magical tales, the book had but one condition to let you in on its marvels; to treat it gently and with love. Otherwise, blankness would wash away all of its magic, and leave you with nothing but empty pages.

One day, five children went to a library where the librarian told them of a book that would open up their eyes to things they have never seen before. Like a portal to wonders they never knew existed, it was a book they would not want to let go of once they have read. But the lady warned them that unless they treat the book with respect and care, the book shall withhold its magic, colors, and stories. 

With eyes glittering with excitement, the children could barely wait, and they rushed to find the book she speaks of.

Skimming through one book after the other, all they found were boring stories that didn't match the description of the magical book. They knew they had to keep looking.

Immersed in the silence of the diligent hunt, the children heard a gasp so loud they instantly dropped their books and went to see what had happened.

Staring in awe, one of the boys had his eyes locked on a book that rested on a top shelf.

Among the many ordinary books, there stood one book which seemed to glow. Together, the children quickly helped one other, and reached for the book. Excited as they were to read it, they could barely wait to explore what the book withheld.

Around the book they sat in a circle, making sure it was visible to everyone. The first of them to have found it turned over its first page, and began to read out loud so that all of his friends could hear.

Rapidly and unexpectedly, one of his friends snatched the book to read it himself. In a blink of an eye, the colors and words of the book faded away, barely leaving the children with anything to read. The boy had forgotten the librarian’s warning, and did not understand what had happened. He did not intentionally mean any disrespect for the book, and soon afterwards, he started treating it gently again.  Right then, the colors and words popped in vividness once more.

Sadly, it wasn't long before another child who was swept by excitement aggressively grabbed the book from his friend’s gentle grip. Everyone fell silent as the sound of a tearing page shattered the silence of the library.

They looked at the book, but this time, it had gone blank white. No words or pictures were to be seen at all. At this instant, they all remembered what the librarian had told them. They were so afraid, and felt the weight of what they had done pressing against their chests in angst. They mistreated the most amazing of all books, and now they would not be able to read it again.

Hastily, they tried to put the paper back where it was, but nothing seemed to change. The entire book was still blank. They tried to pat it, even hug it and kiss it, but still nothing would change.

It then occurred to one of them that the answer might be fixing it. She ran to the librarian and told her of what had happened. As she narrated the incident with guilt and concern, the librarian comforted her, and told her that the greatest of books was a very forgiving one.

Together, they went to look for some scotch tape. Having found one, the girl rushed back to her friends. She wasn't certain of the result, but she knelt down beside the book as if she were tending to a sick friend. Gently and carefully, she put the page back where it was, and slid the scotch tape across it.

She shut the book, hugged it so hard, and with the faintest sound pleaded, “Oh please, marvelous book, heal and forgive us for our ill-treatment.” She shut her eyes, and made a promise in her heart, never to treat the book with disrespect again.

As their anticipation peaked, they slowly opened the book to find that the torn page had healed, and that all of the pages were flooded with words and color once more.

Overwhelmed with happiness that the most marvelous of all books was back again, they all gathered around the book, but this time they made sure to share the book and take turns. And from that day on, they could never let go of the book, always finding their way back to it for endless reading sessions.

I Have More Friends Who Smoke Hash Than I Thought I Do... And It's OK!

One of the scary ideas I have about parenting, if I'm ever a parent, is how I'll possibly communicate right and wrong to a child while respecting their own space to make up their minds and form their own notions about the world. How can I do so without unintentionally planting any grudges in their hearts?

I grew up in a healthy family, both metaphorically at heart, and physically; two blessings I am forever thankful for. None of us are tobacco or hash smokers, or alcohol drinkers. I was always encouraged to eat healthily, and constantly do sports.

As one grows up, it is inevitable to encounter both means of learning about the world. You are taught what is right, and encouraged to pursue it, while you're also warned against the wrong, and cautioned to distance yourself from it.

Even though I'm not entirely sure when or how that happens, but we slowly start to associate wrong doing with bad people. We start to unintentionally label people early on at a young age.

It wasn't until quite recently that I was alerted to the prejudices I carry within but am unaware of.

Given the atmosphere I grew up in, exploring new realms of people came along with a multitude of new thoughts worth contemplating.

"Do you know why I arrive with such a cheerful mood everyday at work?" asked one of my ex-coworkers one day out of the blue, "It's because smoke hash before I come to work."

Unlike how I would have expected myself to react, I replied, "Well, I can't say I'm quite okay with smoking hash, but you're a beautiful person, and I have no problem with that. You're free to do whatever you want."

Not quite long afterwards, my coworkers were sharing when each of them started smoking cigarettes, when one of the people I would hands down consider very dear to my heart said, "I smoked hash for a really long while before I started smoking cigarettes."

What both surprises me and brings comfort to my heart is how I was farthest from startled when either of them shared that they smoke hash. Over the past couple of years, the list of people who I learned are hash smokers has been growing, but it is consoling to know that I have grown to be able to segregate between a person and what they do.

Many may argue that what a person does speaks volumes about who they are, which does make sense. But then, this is only one of many layers of what they do, and who they are.

Among the mentioned people, and those I haven't mentioned are people whose minds are brilliant , whose hearts are very pure, and who are always keen to remind me how I am loved for who I am. Among them are people who are in constant mental and spiritual pursuit to find sanctuary and equilibrium. Among them are people I truly love, respect and cherish.

At this point, it doesn't quite matter what my stance is towards smoking or drinking or whichever other habit which may not be welcomed by society. What does matter is that I have seen beyond those habits, and what I saw was beautiful.

We're never going to all be the same, nor hold the exact same sets of beliefs. As long as my beliefs don't hurt others, nor do theirs hurt me, I can't see one reason why I should hold grudges or build unnecessary walls.

When we just live and let live, the world exposes so much of its beauty that we previously chose to avoid or un-see.

Do We Owe Anything to Ourselves?

The subject of fate may sometimes bring about agitation for some people; how everything is written in the stars and meant to be. But when we speak of fate, we mostly speak of the divine power which orchestrates the cosmos.

But what if we're a lot more helpless than that, even for non-believers. How much of anything that we think or do do we actually owe to ourselves, our conscious-self?

A Subtly Dictative Environment

During the year I spent teaching children, I learned that the key to achieving desired results with the least amount of whining, crying, or tantrums is to make the child believe deep down that he wants to willingly do what you would otherwise fight about. It's perfect mind trickery, even though no one regards it as evil because it's usually for the purpose of cleaning up some toys, or wiping booger off their faces.

But what if it doesn't stop there? Allow me to illustrate.

Have you ever come across one of those viral videos which roll out quite emotionally, and then they wrap up with a message to buy a hand cream, or a car? Personally, it always makes me wish the video were just for the sake of the beautiful emotional message it sends, and it certainly makes me regard the video as much cheaper.

Had it not been for the quite obvious message wrapping up the video, I wouldn't have known that someone is manipulating my emotions to achieve their desired goals. Only other forms of communication don't quite have the same clear message, do they? Movies for instance? History maybe?

We've been taught that humans are social beings that interact with their surrounding world, and live accordingly. And by surrounding world, I mean everything you can lay your hands, eyes, or mind on, be it in accordance with the customs and norms of your culture or otherwise.

How much of the surrounding world is as it appears to be? How much of what we know is true? And if we react to a lie, what does that make of our decisions?

The You Beyond Your Control 

It's fair enough to think that if you can't control the surrounding circumstances, you can at least choose what to do with what is available. And whatever you think, do, or achieve, you owe to yourself.

That may have been true until I read a book that discusses the subconsciousness. According to this book, Incognito, your subconsciousness is what really does all the work, and the surprise is, you have as much credit for its thoughts as your heart beating. Exactly, none!

The author gives a little example to explain the relationship between your consciousness and subconsciousness. He says imagine a city where a zillion things happen, from a mother nursing a child, to kids playing, to a janitor sweeping the floor, and uncountable other events. And then there's the news where you only read about the city happenings which affect your life.

That's how consciousness and subconsciousness correlate, where your subconsciousness is the city with all the activity you're unaware of, and your consciousness is the brief summary of important stuff you need to know.

Accordingly, each witty comment you ever threw, every eureka moment, every moment you took to praise yourself for your incomparable intelligence, that was your subconsciousness. It has been brewing this thought for hours, months, maybe years, and when it was ready for you to know it, it surfaced to your consciousness.

But...

Something feels off, like the pieces don't exactly fall in place. Because I have seen people aching to make something out of themselves. I have seen the tears trickling down a very dear friend's face when she told me how she swam against the tide; how her childhood was particularly the warmest.

I may not always know what to believe, but seeing people like her makes my belief in one's will grow beyond my comprehension of space or time. It can't be that helplessness would ever make way for a person like her.

But there will always be instances when I take a look around, and nothing whatsoever will make sense... And quite many will those instances be.

Celebrate.

For over a century, since the emergence of the first motion picture camera in the 1890's, movie makers have subliminally enforced visual affiliations to words and feelings. We have watched people fall in and out of love in the same manner till the romantic images became almost a given of how love should evolve. Sorrow, grief, happiness, success, beauty and many other concepts in life were not much luckier in finding sanctuary from the overruling grip of molds and stereotypes.

Unaware that what the mind projects cannot be simply projected on a silver screen, many sadly forget to shut their eyes and take a look inwards to enjoy the colors a human brain can manifest; for the colors of the human brain are only seen by the soul and not the eyes.

Colors. Noises and laughter. Parades and dancers in sparkly costumes. That's how a celebratory scene would usually look to the eye. But to the soul, a fleeting moment of celebration, the ultimate moment of celebration is void of all senses.

When all the light is shut out, and all the sounds fade, only then does the spectrum of all that lights within reveal itself.

Only then does your soul celebrate.

Celebrate Eloquence

The value of words is far greater than the sum of its letters, and the word I stands witness to that. A one lettered word that is home to past experiences that have carved a human soul in scars and beams of light. A letter which engulfed the birth and death of hopes, fears, and many more emotions. And a single letter that will carry the weight of a future in solitude.

Word jugglers in this modern world are mostly found in the realm of marketing and selling stuff most people don't need. Clever as they may be, their words are short lived and soon forgotten.

But somewhere among these crowds, lie a clever few who know that the worth of their words should rise above the shenanigans of the marketing hassle. For those few, words were destined for more than just selling. Words are the only thing that can save a soul from drowning in its own darkness, or deprive another from seeing the good in the world.

As many words as I have exchanged throughout my brief life so far, I will always celebrate my short encounters with the most beautiful lady word juggler, whose words are so well picked that they make your heart tingle.

Celebrate Love

Slightly over a week ago, I was swept by a relentless wave that urged me to express my gratitude to the different people I know. Some of them are quite close and dear to my heart, while others I barely know. But whether distant or close, just the intent of expressing how special the people I'm surrounded with are filled my entirety with joy and appreciation for the little things. For the little sparkle that shimmers in our eyes when we speak of what we love. Those glimpses of life that escape us unwillingly to shine up the entire space we occupy.

Let alone their responses... Ineffable.

Celebrate Beauty

The beauty of beauty is that we perceive it differently, and that it affects the souls of those who seek it variously. It is bound to neither space nor time. Being receptive to beauty makes you quite selective, but once you have found it, it taps on feelings you never knew existed. A mellow tune can elevate your insides, while a smooth breeze can open up gates to dimensions only the mind and soul can reach.

Beauty is a feeling, and it's contagious. Incubate it, and spread it out.


I'm pretty sure that beyond every pair of shut eyes, a soul grows in sensitivity to all the good life has to offer. We often fear that if we blink, life will pass us by. But I assure you, if you blink more often, you will open up to a life you've been missing out on.

Celebrate.

The Inevitable Labyrinth of the Twenties

  As a kid, it always seemed that adults know it all. If you ever went into a debate with one of your school friends, you could always have the final say by stating that "my mom says so," and that was that, we had the absolute unquestionable truth at hand.

   Back when I was in middle school, one of my favorite ways of killing time was spending time with my friends imagining what we'd be when we "grow up", and by grow up, I usually estimated that around being 21. Well, they say it's when you're officially an adult.

   I always thought I'd have it all figured out by then. A stable corporate job, a healthy relationship, and however movies portray adulthood. I always assumed getting there would flow naturally, yet little does anyone tell you what to expect. No one tells you how to be prepared. What if I'm not yet prepared to declare myself an adult? Why does everyone else still regard me as one?

   You know all those cynical posts about how we used to wish we'd grow up, and how we now lament each time we wished for it? That never applied to me for two main reasons.

   Ever since I was a kid, mostly around the age of eight or nine, I started being quite skeptical. I was also the protective figure among my friends. I may have often come off as the wise ass, but I didn't like taking things for granted. So while many of the other kids were just letting things be and enjoying not having to think minor details through, I was busy being the over-thinking nerd.

   Nevertheless, I don't recall a time when my inner child and I were not intact and in sync. As we moved to college, it seemed that many girls of my age were quite unreluctant to tiptoe or dive into exploring womanhood. I, on the other hand, was busy exploring all the opportunities the world held for me. While people of my age were eager proving to everyone else how they've grown up, I went strolling with my inner child just having fun wherever we could find it.

   I never felt the urge to let go of the little dude inside because, of all people, he's kept me so alive by being so spontaneous, and by believing in the little things like love, trust, faith, and all the good that lies out there. This little kid makes everything seem so simple.

   But no matter how long you shut the world and society outside, they will eventually come knocking at your door, and bombard you with all the questions you never want to answer.

   What are you actually doing here? Are you good enough? Are you even good at all? What is right? What is wrong? Is everything I've been taught true? What's the cost I have to pay for doubt? How can I ever know if the answers I reach are correct?

   And while you're caught within this labyrinth which you have no recollection of entering in the first place, you hear all those people popping topics you couldn't care less about. Finding a suitable well paying job. Getting married. Being a decent tamed girl. Pleasing the society.

   Now I'm at this point in my life where I feel like I have nothing to prove to anyone. For once, I need to let down my guard and stop over thinking. I am foremost driven by curiosity to explore. I want to do the right things and take pride in them. I want to do the wrong things and learn from them, too.

  I'm 23, single, struggling to find a job that satisfies my potential rather than my bank account, not yet broke, but soon to be, and most of all, I feel free. I feel like there's so much that I need to explore and experience about myself by exploring the world outside.

   While they're all rushing to book pre-wedding photo sessions, I'm constantly eager for my next trip to a place I've never been to with people I've never met. I'm eager for the next challenge that makes me sharper and stronger.

   I can't give this up now. Not yet. I just can't see how growing up and settling down are even relevant. Growing up isn't by having fatter bank accounts and a ring around your finger; it's by being out there that I grow. This is how I want to grow.

   If growing up means letting go of a free spirit to conform and fit into the mold of womanhood, then I'm scared like shit of growing up. I'm scared like shit of not being sincere to my inner child. I'm scared I'll have to be like everyone else, grown up and lifeless.

Call Me a Sucker, but I Love Love!

   What a beautiful commercial world we live in, saturated with so many terms void of any value. Sparkly and eye catchy, but that's as far as many things go.

   People are too busy to stop and appreciate the real beauty of anything. Everybody's in pursuit of a quick fix, a rush of blood, ecstacy. And in the midst of this parade of pretence, they miss out on the real catch.

   As Elton John puts it, "there's more to see than can ever be seen; more to do than can ever be done." But some people's arrogance deceives them into thinking that reducing core values to an act or two will allow them more access to 'life'.

   Even though many of us seem to enjoy free falling through this glittery abyss of hollow pretence, there remains a few who summon as much might to swim against that tide.

Commercial Love

   Songs, movies, novels... even Super Mario sets out to save the princess. It makes us flap with joy everytime the main characters get to kiss (or God Knows do what else). It's in the air, it's everywhere. It's so tempting that everyone wants a piece of it. Relationships, Valentine's, Instagram couple photos, cheesy statuses... Satisfied? Are you all "in love" now? Are you living your favorite movies?

   I'm not joyfully rolling in mockery because I'm bitter, God forbid. May you all find true love, for it's a real blessing that I wish everyone is granted. But have you really found love? And is that the only form of love?

My favorite kind of Love

   I was raised in a family that taught me how to see beauty in the simplest things. I've been told of a God who has created everything with love. And I have heard songs that remind us that "all you need is love".

   Love is so inclusive that it touches all your senses; you can feel its energy, see it in the beauty around you, listen to it in the orderly melodies of nature, or orchestrated tunes of songs.

   Love is an energy, neither created nor destroyed, but changes form. It's so universal that it stops at no barriers. A plant feels the love of its caretaker and nourishes upon it. An animal feels secure when they sense the love of a bypassing stranger. A piece of work done with love will captivate its observers with its ingenuity.

   I love love because it's a silent language of its own. Once mastered, it cushions your falls, and tints the bleakest days with hope. But you can never master anything until you practice it first, and the first practice companion is yourself.

   A lot of people set out seeking love, and they overlook the fact that they have plenty of it within. If you can't love yourself, you can neither see it around you nor pass it on to others.

   You are worthy of love just the way you are. Take pride in that, and embrace it. Dig for the little things that make you shine. When you've found them, share their joy with the world out there. Believe me when I say, your love for yourself will inspire others to love themselves.

Seek it, and it shall find you

   Love, because when we love, we tend to see the beauty in people and in things. When we love, we tend to forgive. We tend to connect. We tend to be strong. We tend to grow. We tend to be human.

   Love yourself. Love people. Love all sorts of creatures. Love God. Be a hippie for all I care! Just let love flow from and through you. Pass it on, and when you have none to pass, be a beacon of joy and generate some.

   Love, but make sure not to degrade it, or boil it down to some cheap Hollywood scene.