[Avodah] Is there an issur in smoking marijuana?

[Rich, Joel]

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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I think your summary is fairly accurate.  The other source I quoted said
it's a chilukei deyot as to whether it is harmful and thus left it in
the drabbanan of hergel. IMVHO the issue of addiction cuts across many
possible venues (e.g. liquor, money, sex....)and R'MF was following his
lev shel torah in this ban.  I gave a yahrtzeit shiur on smoking which
tied to addictions and closed with the chinuch in 387  "ubchlal ze shelo
lrdof achar taavat haolam hazeh"  and the Rambam in Peirush hamishnayot
sanhedrin 3:3 "vyesod hu btorateinu shein rauy ladam lhaasik et atzmo
bolam hazeh ela bechad mishnei dvarim o bchachmah lhashlim ba et atzmo,
o besek sheyoil lo bkiyum haolam kgon umnut o meschar"

KT
Joel Rich 
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