If marijuana was legal would you smoke? And so the infamous question of which I have been asked in many different ways was thrust upon me. I have been fielding the “why don’t you smoke?” questions ever since I was around 15 years old. Its usually a bunch of us sitting in a car before a concert, movie, bike ride, on the ski lift, at a party, or dozens of other scenarios and the finely crafted hand blown bowl is unsheathed containing some sweet smelling hydro, it gets passed around until its my turn – and then the question is popped immediately after my declining to get stoned with whomever I am with.
I have the look, or so I have been told pretty much ever since the beginning of high school. In high school I definitely had the look, baggy khakis, Hawaiian shirts and whatever else was on the clearance rack at Pacific Sunwear. Sometimes I even played along making kids think I was the biggest stoner in the world- I do have this stoner voice after all. But mostly they didn’t realize I wasn’t interested in getting high, until it was well time to get high. I never felt uncomfortable like other kids I knew, I just wasn’t interested, neither was I interested in drinking.
If marijuana was legal would you smoke? M y response to this question is better said then written like any of my rants, but here goes. I like to be in control, I like to experience whatever it is I am experiencing without enhancement. If I am going to a concert as I was last night – (Particle headlined while The Bridge opened- very good by the way) I want to feel the music through my own ears and not be high or drunk or buzzed or whatever- my philosophy- I am in now way telling others what to do. Due to the nature of my job I cannot take this issue on politically but I do flow in a more Green Party sort of way if you know what I mean.
Furthermore I never smoked because the convenience of just being able to smoke whenever you want makes it addictive mentally and the why not smoke attitude kicks in. I would have to say a good majority of my friends were or still are potheads, many of them were lazy, depressed, tired etc… when they did not have access to their herbal remedies. Yes I know every ones going to argue that there are scientific studies proving any of this etc… First off let me make this clear – I would have to say I would rather my kids were pot smokers then drinkers- alcohol does way more harm then pot will ever do. Pot will not kill you and apparently is not addictive.
Then I when I was in my lower 20’s I was like eh I should just start smoking a bit – its free its social and its fun. Problem was I didn’t feel like it anymore – gone was the peer pressure which, I never succumbed to anyway and gone was the excitement surrounding it.
This brings me to my final topic of discussion. My friend also asked me why many Jews believe in getting drunk to bring them to higher levels most notably Lubavitchers through the fabrengin but they shun marijuana and other natural hallucinogens? My friend told me he asked a local Rabbi and he responded with the cop-out answer of Malchusay Deena (law of the land). Here is my beef with the malchusay deena cop-out answer to anything that is illegal. I am positive that nearly everyone in this country breaks the law every day without even realizing it. Using cell phones in the car, speeding, not stopping fully at stop signs, giving alcohol to children under age, opening up other peoples mail, tearing off those tags on your mattresses, burning dvd’s from blockbuster, etc… So what would be the correct answer to why Jews who believe so much in getting higher through torah by introducing alcohol will not smoke da herb?
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
probably because alcohol has some gemara sources to it…there are plenty of discussions about wine…its kinda necessary on yom tov and obviously purim…..as the gemara puts it..nichnas yayin ,yutza sod …..cant say this about marijuana though
Who’s to say that if weed had been around then it wouldn’t have had the part of wine in kiddush (well apart from having to burn it, you know what I mean).
After all, everywhere the plant is indigenous the native populations treated it as a sacred plant (like the native American did with tobacco) much like Judaism treats wine.
Personally, I’ve only smoked a few times, but I do agree it’s no worse than alcohol. Judaisms stigma with it is the fact society has a stigma with it. Maybe in 100 years it will be accepted.
A friend of a friend studied at a very prestigious yeshiva in New York and every time he smoked up it gave him a rush to study Gemara. I believe it affects you in that it brings out what you like to do. Your friends like to be lazy and listen to music? Thats what they want to do whilst high.
Me? Last time I shared a blunt I went on a message board and MSN and tried to hold a coherent conversation with a friend whilst trying to find the keyboard.
He got annoyed fast. XD
You all should move to BC or Oregon- I hear the Rabbis smoke after kiddush so not to embarrass the wine.
I did ask A rabbi about dina demalchusa once, he replied that anything that is not enforced, doesn’t come under that category, for example
J-walking. Speeding might be another issue, as it is somewhat enforced by ticketing, but also somewhat expected.
When it comes to weed, here in Canada is was almost legalized until the US govt put pressure to cancel the proposed legalization. Still activists such as the famous Mark Emery set up a booth selling pot in front of a BC police station and walked in to try to have himself arrested, they wouldn’t do it. He is now sitting in a US prison for selling seeds crossborder.
Although weed is not physically addictive, a mental addiction is quite possible for regular users, just as with cigarettes. Long after a physical craving is gone, the mental activity associated with smoking cigarettes or pot will linger.
As far as religion, back in my rebel years, I offered pot to a Lubab Rabbi on Succos as he was downing single malt with us. We said he would try it, except that his reputation would be ruined if it got out, and that wasn’t worth the risk. I doubt there is anything wrong halachically, but I’ve seen where some rabbis claim that the fact that you wouldn’t smoke up in front of your parents, might be enough to be oyver kibud av va-em.
Others claim, you need to make a bracha when smoking pot, bsamim, tefilas haderech, etc. The Rastas call it “Ganja” Hebrew for garden of
Y-A-H, maybe the bracha should be about allowing us to enter his “garden”.
There are people who claim that marijuana was one of the plants used in the ktoret offering – and hence actually used in a sanctified way. these are also the people who say that you should say the bisamim bracha on it. I heard a theory that it’s a cultural thing; in the west it’s just more culturally accepted to drink, whereas in the east there is a long long tradition of hashish and hookah. whether or not anyone should smoke is their own business but it’s ridiculous that it’s still illegal anywhere, in my opinion; politicians who fight against legalization really ought to be focusing on issues that are actually important, instead of senselessly demonizing something a lot more innocuous than say alcohol, tobacco, or any other over the counter drug that could kill you if taken in enough quantity. in my personal opinion.