Smoking Marijuana on Passover
In honor of the coincidence of Passover occurring on 4/20 – an article from The Forward on marijuana as it relates to Passover.
The one thing that this article is missing is the idea that pot isn’t permissible acceptable even when it’s not Passover because of the biblical injunction to guard one’s health.
The other area they didn’t address is would it be permissible according to Jewish law if one got a medical dispensation in order to deal with the stress of one’s family at the seder.
Pot Not Kosher for Passover — Even on 4/20
By Anne Cohen
It’s that time of the year again — Passover and 4/20, the unofficial marijuana celebration day. On the same day.
The celebration of all things green poses a particular problem for the chosen people. Namely, is smoking pot kosher for Passover?
Sorry to disappoint, but it seems not.
In 2007, Israel’s Green Leaf Party, which supports the legalization of marijuana, declared that cannabis is among the substances Jews are forbidden to consume during Passover.
“You shouldn’t smoke marijuana on the holiday, and if you have it in your house you should get rid of it,” Michelle Levine, a spokeswoman for the party, said at the time.
Why? Because hemp seeds are considered to be kitniyot.
While biblical law prohibits eating leavened foods, rabbis have since extended the rules to apply to foods like beans, corn and rice. Hemp seeds, found in marijuana, falls under that category. So voila, no Mary-Jane for you — if you’re Ashkenazi that is.
Sephardic Jews have traditionally been allowed to eat kitniyot during Passover, so when it comes to 4/20, they’re in the clear.
If you’re really desperate though, there have been reports in the past of kosher for Passover pot cookies. Cannabliss, an Israeli company that supplies medical marijuana to Hadassah Hospital, makes them with matzo meal or potato flour.
As the ancients said: Put that in your pipe and smoke it. But don’t. Still not kosher.
Read more: http://blogs.forward.com/the-shmooze/196693/pot-not-kosher-for-passover-even-on–/#ixzz2zSwsOvbg
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