So, we’re glad the weird rumors about the exhumation of Bob Marley’s body and its subsequent reburial in Ethiopia have proved to be untrue. We’ve always felt a kinship with our Rastafarian brothers and sisters and some of us aren’t ashamed to admit we occasionally partake of the sacred herb to better appreciate God’s creation. And now, thanks to Jewschool, we know we’re not the only ones: He’s only written one post, but we hope to learn more from blogger Yoseph Leib’s crazy Kabbalistic exploration of the Jewish cannabis connection. Let’s just hope he’s not too big of a stoner to neglect his blog.
Wishing all a good Shabbos, however you choose to observe it.
Yo, Yenta!
From the edge of the Diaspora rises a new generation of Jewish mother
Jessica, how disappointing. You have such a good opportunity to be a leader in the younger Jewish community, and this is what you choose to promote? What good does it do to promote smoking pot (which despite its image is not as harmless as it once was) What good does it do the Jewish community, or even the broader singles community to condone drug use? Appreciation of G-d’s creation? G-d’s creation is so wonderous that it does not require an artificial alteration of the senses in order to appreciate it. You can do better than this.
Perri, I appreciate your opinion. However, I believe it to be rather narrow. I certainly don’t “promote” smoking pot, but I do believe in its free use by those who choose to benefit from its medicinal and other positive properties. I also think that our society’s prohibitive view on marijuana has been dictated largely by our government’s economic policies (there’s more history and info at http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana) and that the taboo surrounding it is generational and outdated. In my opinion (and it is just that,) the other substances our society deems acceptable– alchohol, anti-depressants– have many more negative effects (including their production and distribution as well as effects on the individual) than marijuana, a plant that grows with minimal assistance. Yet most folks will swallow a Prozac daily (or slug back two or three glasses of wine at dinner) without judgment for themselves or others while simultaneously expressing “disappointment” for those who take a toke once in while. This has always seemed mighty hypocritical to me. At the age of 33 and the mother of two, I have come to realize that the “drug” isn’t the issue; it’s how we navigate our relationships with our loved ones and our Creator. Perhaps I should have worded the sentence “to better appreciate God’s creation” differently since my daily wonderment never needs anything but my breath and my prayers. I’m sorry you’re so fazed by this post, but frankly, to those of us having grown up in the coke-snortin’, spend-crazy, psycho 80’s, smoking pot on occasion just ain’t a big deal. Sure, there are plenty of people who fit the bill of “lazy stoner,” but gosh, as a Jew, I’m real careful about buying into stereotypes.
Living in a Northern California “pot-friendly” community (there is a medical marijuana dispensary in my town) has helped shape my opinion that marijuana is incredibly helpful to some, casually enjoyed by many and definitely needs to be relieved of the negative propoganda surrounding it. You are, of course, entitled to disagree.
As far as the Jewish community and the readers of this blog, I believe we’re all adults here. Since you must not smoke, drink, eat chocolate, listen to music, take brisk walks or do anything else that “alters” you senses, I truly admire your coping skills to get through this life. But maybe you could consider lightening up a bit.
Jessica,
Them
G-d did say in Genesis “Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is upon the face of all the earth”, herbs don’t make us any less jewish. Our solidarity is what is important.
Perri, let’s get back to the original post, shall we? I touched on Bob Marley, segued into Rastafarianism, gave a wink*wink reference to smoking pot, then highlighted someone else’s blog that I found relevant and interesting. You attacked ME but I was still hoping this was a friendly conversation between two people who have different perspectives. Surely someone of your ‘leftist’ background is aware of the presence of pot in intellectual and artistic (and therefore a least a little bit Jewish) circles. The people who run in such circles who happen upon this blog might enjoy such a post, while other readers keep asking me to post more pictures of Caprice Bourret. I was just trying to mix it up a little, holmes.
Your education and experience in the realm of treating people with substance abuse issues would obviously give you many examples of the detrimental effects of pot specifically and drugs in general; my own experience as a Wandering Jewish Hippie Princess Warrior has given me well, other things. I respect your view on this issue and the work that you do with others in need. I’m flattered that you called this blog “successful.” But it seems like the nerve that’s been struck here is yours.
This is quite a conversation. I agree that pot can be harmless, or no more harmless than alcohol anyway. But when people try to justify its use with talk about “medicinal” and “beneficial” properties, I am rreminded of the losers that stood in the middle of campus in college trying to convince me that my car would somehow run on hemp if “The Man” would just step out of the way. I’m pretty sure those morons still live with their parents. Bottom line- advocating the use of any mind altering or addicitve substance (pot, cocaine, alcohol or whatever) disses all of the people who struggle with addiction everyday. That includes addicts, families and those of us in the trenches dealing with the consequences.
This is quite a conversation. I agree that pot can be harmless, or no more harmless than alcohol anyway. But when people try to justify its use with talk about “medicinal” and “beneficial” properties, I am rreminded of the losers that stood in the middle of campus in college trying to convince me that my car would somehow run on hemp if “The Man” would just step out of the way. I’m pretty sure those morons still live with their parents. Bottom line- advocating the use of any mind altering or addicitve substance (pot, cocaine, alcohol or whatever) disses all of the people who struggle with addiction everyday. That includes addicts, families and those of us in the trenches dealing with the consequences.
Jessica, I
Perri, of course this blog is a forum for the exchange of ideas; otherwise, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. I respect that you don’t appreciate what I’ve set forth and I’d rather this blog be read than “validated.” (However, one only needs to Google “anti-depressant side effects” to find factual support for the argument that meds are not without their dangers, and Rastafarianism is based historically in the same tribe as the Ethipioan falashas.)
But no matter; the point is that you don’t agree with how far I, as a writer, am willing to connect Judaism with the rest of the world and I accept that. Perhaps my flavor of Judaism means “making things up as I go along” in order to make sense of what Hashem puts before me every day. As much as I believe in every Jew’s responsibility to interpret the world in a genuine way that resonates with him or her personally, I will certainly think twice before bringing my (unpopular) personal opinions to this table because it is not my wish to alienate anyone. Rather, the goal of Jmerica is to include all Jews, be they halachic, non-practicing, pot smokers or puritans. Your views on this post are valid and valuable, and I hope to hear more from you in the future.
I appreciate your response. When Googling anti-depressant side-effects, be careful that you evaluate each statement in light of appropriate research methodology (i.e., reliability and validity of the data). Most of what you see is anectdotal evidence which is not statistically valid, and some is propaganda. All medications (even Tylenol, Advil, and Vitamins) can cause serious problems in some people. That doesn’t negate the benefits for the majority, unless the very few bad results get unwarranted airplay. As far as voicing unpopular views, more power to you! My suggestion would be to be careful that opposing viewpoints are treated respectfully;disagreement is not a personal attack. Respectful disagreement facilitates the open exchange of ideas. It’s also okay (in my book) to alienate people if need be. I don’t think “all inclusiveness” is possible. Interpreting the world in a genuine way is the responsibility of every human being; not all interpretations are actually Jewish, even if we would like them to be- because it would feel good, make our lives easier, be more convenient, etc. Despite what we’ve been told, you cannot have it all.
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ha!
That said, it’s all true. Too much of anything good isn’t, and too much can be very little. This last blogpost deals with that problem a bit…
Here’s the problem. Rather than not bringing up the issue of drugs in the jewish communities, or else generally saying no! and cutting users out, only serves to make a wall between the jews who’ll hold by you and the ones who just won’t. Which can be ok, we all need space to grow, do our thing sometimes… but if we are in fact trying to keep our kids from hurting themselves with the things they’re using, it might be better to have a sensitve, sensible drug halacha rather than an irrelevant and dismisseable one.
And i really feel, before we can expect a secular government to have a sensible un-destructive drug policy that actually help to discourage drug use through education rather than fear of getting caught, we need a halacha that does the same.
I do appreciate the attention, tho.
Thanks for noticing!