Pot plants in Tel Aviv. Photo: Cannabis Magazine.

Some unsuspecting Tel Aviv residents got a green surprise over the weekend, when they discovered marijuana saplings surreptitiously dispersed at locations across the city, by cannabis-legalization activists, Channel 2 News reported Sunday.

Calling for “Legalization of Marijuana-Now,” proponents said the public relations stunt was intended to stimulate public debate.

“Our goal is to stimulate public debate on the subject of legalization of cannabis,” a source behind the campaign told the station. “We want to make people understand that we are talking about a plant, not a dangerous poison as they are trying to make it seem,” the individual said of the currently illegal substance.

“If people see that we are talking about a plant, perhaps their perceptions of marijuana will change,” the source said.

“This initiative is a small part of the many initiatives we are taking to focus public attention on the issue of legalization,” according to one activist.

The male plants that were distributed do not bear the flowers that contain the active ingredient, tetrahydracannabinol.

Israel is a world leader in research into the uses of medical marijuana, and its controlled use is legal.