[Avodah] Is there an issur in smoking marijuana?

[kennethgmiller at juno.com]

R' Avroham Yakov asked:
> Was speaking to a non-relig. co-worker who asked if
> Halacha forbids smoking marijuana?
> Can anyone share sources? Answers?

(This reply is similar to R' Zev Sero's post. I have copied it from my post of five years ago in Mail-Jewish 38:48; it received no responses at that time, so I hope the moderator will not mind my asking these questions again in this forum.)

Rav Moshe Feinstein wrote about this in Igros Moshe, Yoreh Deah 3:35. He begins: "Regarding the fact that some boys from the yeshiva have begun to smoke hashish (marijuana), it is clearly forbidden by several basic laws of the Torah. First..."

There can be no doubt which drugs Rav Feinstein was referring to. He spells them "ches shin yod shin (mem ayin resh alef vav vav alef nun alef)" - parentheses his.

He then gives his reasons. I found it interesting that violating the local civil laws is NOT among them. Of course, it is best to study his actual words directly, but my summary of his reasoning is:

-- It is physically harmful.
-- It damages the mind so that one cannot think straight, which prevents one from learning Torah properly, and also prevents one from prayer and other mitzvos.
-- It leads to a desire (addiction?) which some are unable to keep in check, which is the prohibition faced by the Ben Sorer uMoreh.
-- The reason given for the Ben Sorer uMoreh also applies to this case: He will eventually come to rob others.
-- The anguish which the smoker gives his parents is a violation of honoring them.
-- It also violates Kedoshim Tihyu as explained by Ramban.
-- It also leads to many other prohibitions.

These arguments sound pretty reasonable to me, but I wish I knew whether he was referring only to a frequent or heavy marijuana user, or even to an occasional or light user. Somehow, I can't help suspecting that he would hold that even occasional and light use is forbidden.

But if that is so, then what would he say about occasional and light use of alcohol? Which of Rav Moshe's arguments would apply to a few puffs of a marijuana cigarette, but not to a few shots of whiskey? Does anyone know if he ever spoke or wrote about this?

Akiva Miller


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