So much for using marijuana as Karpas. Yes, it’s leafy and yes, it’s green. But apparently, hemp seeds are not kosher for Passover. That is, if you’re Ashkenazi. The seeds belong to a limbo category of growing things called “kitniyot,” so if your seder has beans and rice, feel free to put the “Yes I Can” in cannabis this Festival of Freedom. Except for that whole “pot is still illegal” thing.
Still, where there’s a will, there’s a way…and clearly this is an issue that many people are passionate about, since I just got an email from Hillel about this, and blogs are also taking this issue seriously. For those interested in taking another hit off the informational bong, I highly recommend this JTA report on the issue.
POLJ
3/27/2007
No hat tip to JTA for finding this beautiful story from the obscure site of the WTOP Washington Area News, Traffic, and Weather?
Just giving you a hard time…
Haish Hagadol
3/27/2007
Classsssic…
But I love the image most of all!!!
Sam
3/28/2007
A rabbi once told me that Israel once considered banning smoking under halacha before deciding that the idea was completely unrealistic.
So, I wonder: Is smoking acceptable under halacha (and under whose interpretation)? If not, is marijuana also forbidden because it is unhealthy?
On a related note: I never see Orthodox, Chasidic or Charedi Jews in the United States smoke. But I did see several of them do so in Israel. I’m not sure what that means, but it was interesting.
POLJ
3/28/2007
For the record, it seems like this post has been updated since last I commented.
Esther
3/28/2007
POLJ, the way it worked here is that I saw the WTOP story quoting the JPost, and blogged it. Subsequently, the JTA (and about six other places) did a story. And I liked the JTA article–thought it had some unusual comments in it, so I edited and republished it.
Billy Epstein
3/17/2008
Hemp is not marijuana. The constant lame jokes aren’t funny. Hemp doesn’t contain any hallucinogenic substances and is extremely nutritious. It also has many uses such as for paper and clothing. The hemp ban is causing a lot of misery for US farmers. Farmers in Canada can legally grow hemp and are making a killing, so to speak, while farmers in the Dakota states who would like to grow hemp, are going broke. visit votehemp.org for more info.