To all Jewish people who are wondering whether marijuana is kosher for Passover, worry no longer because a leading Orthodox rabbi has given it the ‘green’ light.
The Times of Israel reports that 88-year-old Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, widely considered to be the leading ultra-Orthodox halachic authority, ruled that marijuana is kosher for Passover.
After sniffing a batch of cannabis leaves, Rabbi Kanievsky said that cannabis can either be eaten or smoked over the eight day Jewish festival, which involves very strict laws and customs. The ruling came as a response to pro-marijuana group Siach.
The Times of Israel clarified, “that in normal circumstances the plant is considered a member of the kitniyot group of legumes and pulses that are banned on Passover among Jews of Ashkenazi origin.” However, being a leaf “if used for medical purposes, cannabis is permitted for Jews from all backgrounds.”
In the video, Rabbi Kanievky studied the marijuana leaves and gave them a sniff. “After smelling the leaves of a cannabis plant,” reported the Times of Israel, “Rabbi Kanievky and Rabbi Yitzchak Zilberstein, another leading Orthodox authority, decided that the plant had a “healing smell” and made the blessing for fragrant leaves.”
In 2013, the distribution and smoking of marijuana was ruled kosher by Rabbi Efraim Zalmanovich of Mazkeret Batya, where he reportedly said that “taking drugs to escape the world” is “certainly forbidden.”
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