4/22, blaze it! A rabbi has declared that marijuana is kosher during Passover, as long as it’s totally and completely medicinal.
Prior to the ruling, Ashkenazi Jews would have been forced to do without until Passover comes to a close on April 30, as it was among a group of forbidden grains and legumes called kitniyot that are forbidden during the annual ceremony. However the remarkably chill rabbi Chaim Kanievsky (who’s ultra-orthodox ) blessed the plant, saying that those observing Passover could use the plant for medical reasons. Check out his blessing up top.
Marijuana is illegal in Kanievsky’s home country of Israel, however the country does permit it for medicinal use. Under Israeli law, people who are undergoing chemotherapy or suffering chronic pain due to Parkinson’s disease are allowed to use the drug.
It’s not the first time that a rabbi has ruled on marijuana. In 2013, Rabbi Efraim Zalmanovich declared that both distributing and smoking marijuana were kosher. Just like Rabbi Kanievsky, he said toking up was only permitted for medical reasons and using the drug recreationally is “certainly forbidden.”
The drug has seen a wave of acceptance globally in the last several years, with many countries opting to legalize the drug outright and the U.S. legalizing it in a patchwork manner throughout the states.
