PS…sniff
I hope you gave those jars code names. You might want to encypt those recipes too!
They’re unlabelled I go by sight and smell.
Death Penalty for snuffing??? No way, surely??? I know the middle east is culturally a little behind us (Before anybody shouts “racist”, I mean with their human rights records, lopping off arms and hands for stealing etc.), but that is absurd. Stefan
No worries, it just seems a bit extreme but not impossible. Stefan
Maybe 400 years ago. Some Sultan in Turkey was into that sort of thing (beheading). I have not heard much since then.
My black Rappee attempt is officially unsuccesful. It wound up just being a clumpy unpleasant mess. I suppose I’ll just have to wait untill I’m back in New York or somewhere before I can get a taste. Meanwhile, I’m almost tempted to throw away most of my flavoured jars and just stick with my orginal. Finally ground, dry tobacco, which i spray a bit of water on and then shake up. Less clutter of all these jars and it does the trick nicely.
It is a sad state of affairs that people are afraid to point out human rights violations because they’ll be accused of culturaly insensitivity. I just want to say that is pure insanity. Should we say that america was just culturaly diffrent before the civil war and that we can’t say slavery was wrong because that would be insensitive to our forefathers or that we can’t blame nazis for being bad because that is just their way and we should be more sensitive. I’am all for cultural sensitivity but it falls way behind the rights of induviduals to live their lifes and not be in danger of loseing their lifes are their freedoms. It’s not like you’re making fun of their gods or artistic customs. My favorite is when you get told that a human rights violation is o.k. and you should accept it because that is their religion, even though the human rights violations never come from religion but from hatefull extremists who break more tenents of their religions then the average atheist. Example no where in the koran does it say woman should be considered and treated like inferior beings yet exremists use Islam to do that more importantly if it did say that then it would be wrong anyways. So basicly cultural sensitivity is awesome but don’t let it trump decentcy and human rights just so you can be a dogmatic moron. Honestly I don’t see someone being killed for possesing snuff but then again it’s possible. In Saudi Arabia marijauna sellers can be beheaded (high quanities). So it isn’t much of a stretch to say that if snuff is banned dealers might get some harsh sentences. In all honesty (this isn’t legal advice but pure speculation) it may be more dangerous to be making you’re own snuff esepcialy if the quanity is above a certain arbitairy amount. Might make you look more like you are selling. Basicly find out the laws and act in your own best interest. Are there lawyers there that you can trust? Ask them for a friend visiting if he should leave his snuff at home and what can you tell your friend before he visits that he should be aware of. Ask if he is in any danger to bring small amounts for himself or if he has someone send him snuff is he in danger. Seriously it looks like you probably won’t be beheaded but might spend enough time in jail that what ever other form of tobacco might be a much better idea. Also as a foriegner you may be targeted (this is true all over the world sadly). Find out what you can as discreetly as possible.
I really didn’t intend to start a whole discussion about whatever direction this thread is going in. Just trying to make my own black rappee in my little coffee shop.
Sorry its hard not feel concern for someone who is having a hard time getting decent snuff. Oh yeah and in addition to that I really think it’s beyond approiate for people who might want to help you with that to be aware of what legal ramifications you might be facing. I know personaly I don’t like helping or encouraging people to do something that might be really dangerous. I’am just saying your situation changes enough facts or has the potential to do so, that nothing mentioned so far is auxiliary but in fact direly pertinent. Sure you want to make a black rappee that is great but because of your situtaion and possible legal ramifications people might need to know more before feeling comfortable helping you with that. Of course you can say that you don’t care but it’s still important and part and parcell of the whole picture.
This is a crazy world we live in.
Humanity is insane right? Sheez.
hmm…shammah is a kind of chewing tobacco used in yemen. In both articles they translate different kinds of orally taken tobacco as “snuff”, even though they claim it’s taken nasally, this is not the case. Nasal snuff is not common in arab countries, but when it is taken nasally it’s called “nashooq” or that which is sniffed. Most people I asked about it before I started making my own never heard of the practice. I appreciate your concern and didn’t mean to come across as uncaring, I just didn’t expect my thread to take on such a socialogical hue. I think,however, that in each of the three articles presented, the fact that the tobacco products were being mass produced for sale is what led to such sever measures. In the Saudi Arabia story, the targeted customers being minors was a big part of it as well, as would be a man selling Marlboros in front of a schoolyard in Kansas. I will continue to keep my little habit to myself though just in case. Many people here use suwaika, or chewing tobacco, quit openly even though it’s technically illlegal to sell. It seems a bit inconsistant as cigarettes and even liqour are legal here and sold right in the airport at the duty-free shop. I’m visiting Oman next week with an eye to opening a new business there instead. Seems like a nicer place.
Omani bedouin I met here did know about snuff and said they mix the tobacco with the ash of a desert shrub. We went looking for it and burnt it for the fluffy white ash, but it didn’t seem to improve the snuff at all to my taste, so I just started taking plain green arabic tobacco and grinding that up instead. I did manage to get a small tin of Ozona President included in a care package from NY and nobody seemed to care, even though I’m sure the box was inspected before being left in the PO box. My mentholated experiments seemed pretty close to it, besides it being dark brown while mine is olive green. I had some eucalyptus oil sent to me as well.
thanks for not taking my post the wrong way. It’s so cool to learn about other places and especialy their variances of one of my favorite hobbies. I’ve always wondered about the arabic green tobacco since I know it would at least be interesting.
Yep, good luck. This looks like one of those occasions where nothing is very clear. The two articles are very ambiguous with ‘snuff like’ substances and offences of ‘selling on the street’. I bet the local cops wouldn’t be any clearer either. Anyway, homemade snuff can be fantastic; once you’ve got it off I expect it will be significantly better than Poschl!
Thank you all for your supportive comments. What I think I’ll do is get a very small brass Turkish coffee mill. This is fitted with a snuffbox-sized cap-bottom to receive the ground coffee. I’ll just carry that with a small amount of prefectly legal course tobacco, and as I need snuff just grind and sniff(with a wee bit of water added). No need to have compromising jars and tins about. True, I won’t be enjoying a variety of flavours, but there is a certain freedom in austere minimalism. I couldn’t get a French meal where I am either. That’s part and parcel of life in the desert.
That sounds good. It really sounds like the law is focused on sellers and if they are big enough into stopping selling having any quanity around seperated may technicaly make it look like you are selling it. I know in america if you have illegal drugs beyond a certain weight it becomes dealing or if you have the same drug in too many packages. Again not legal advice but if you are grinding it in small amounts it really seems safer. I’am sure that one thing that is common in police work all over the world is that you get to hear every silly lie, turning it into a boy who cries wolf thing. I mean I’am sure that some people who really are selling say I have all these ones for myself. Then again no idea how serious they are about it or how they really do it. Sounds safer though. Sounds as much like a tax issue really. Like we don’t get taxes off of these sales. For example moonshine in the U.S. big crime (still commited regularly actualy) and they always say it’s health reasons but it’s illegal mainly because of taxes that are not collected.)
Have you tried Gothenburg Rapé?
That’s a snus, though, correct?