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<DIV>In a message dated 8/18/2008 11:37:01 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
avodah-request@lists.aishdas.org writes:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2>co-worker who asked if Halacha forbids smoking
marijuana?<BR></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>We used to joke that you make a tefilas haderech on it. A certain
Conservative rabbi used to tell students to use marijuana in order to fulfill
the mitzvah of visualizing oneself as having left Mitzrayim. There was an
article in Jewish Life in the early 1970s in which several rabbanim gave their
opinions on whether there is an issur to take mind-expanding
drugs( the answer was yes-just a question of what issur). . IIRC, Rav
Ahron Soloveichik,who was one of these people ( R.I.Jacobovitz was
another),included marijuana in whatever issurim he mentioned. He wrote about it
at greater length in an article in Tradition around that time ( 1973 I think),
entitled something like Drug Curture Vs. Torah Tznius.You can probably access
his article online.</DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR><DIV><FONT style="color: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">Looking for a car that's sporty, fun and fits in your budget? <A title="http://autos.aol.com/cars-Volkswagen-Jetta-2009/expert-review?ncid=aolaut00030000000007" href="http://autos.aol.com/cars-Volkswagen-Jetta-2009/expert-review?ncid=aolaut00030000000007" target="_blank">Read reviews on AOL Autos</A>.</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>