mick silver
1st January 2016, 10:46 AM
This Strain of Marijuana Is Extending the Benefits of Chill to a Whole New Group of Peoplehttp://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/Rj6tQch1dlzkAgAEZwVVyg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3NfbGVnbztxPTg1/https://media.zenfs.com/creatr-images/GLB/2015-11-03/ce2ef190-826c-11e5-aa20-11edc1bddb46_eaf30c75842567f61d25dd021e031144.png (http://mic.com/) By Jon Levine December 31, 2015 12:37 PM
In the struggle for legalized marijuana products, one group has often found itself left out of the pot party — Jews.
While plenty of Jews know how to enjoy a hit or two, for those who follow Judaic dietary laws, it's got to be kosher. And so far, that's been something of a problem. "Weed use for pleasure is forbidden," Andrew Zeitler, an Orthodox millennial living in Israel, told Mic.
Buzzkill.
But things may be starting to change. A New York company is gearing up to sell what it's billing as the first-ever kosher medical marijuana.
Vireo Health of New York (http://vireohealthny.com/), one of five licensed New York state purveyors of medical marijuana, announced on Wednesday that it has been officially certified kosher by the Orthodox Union. This means Vireo products — vaporization cartridges, capsules and oils — will display the OU coveted seal of endorsement: the ? symbol on its packaging.
"Being certified kosher by the OU will not only help us serve the dietary needs of the largest Jewish community in the United States, but also combat unfortunate stigmas associated with medical cannabis," Vireo CEO Ari Hoffnung said in a press statement (http://vireohealthny.com/vireo-health-of-new-yorks-medical-cannabis-products-first-in-world-certified-as-kosher-by-the-orthodox-union/). "Patients should never feel guilty or ashamed for using a product recommended by their physicians."
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Source: Mic/Getty Images (http://gettyimages.com/) With the certification, Vireo will become the only legal marijuana distributor in New York state to obtain a kosher stamp of approval.
So what is the deal? Maybe you've heard of pork and shellfish, but marijuana? A plant? How can a plant not be kosher?
From a structural perspective, there's not much standing in the way, Rabbi Philip Weintraub of Congregation Agudas Israel in Newburgh, New York, told Mic.
"Vegetables are kosher," he said, noting that the key sticking point on the farm would be to ensure that no bugs or insect remains were left on the final product.
According to Weintraub, the really tough questions arise later. "Pot as a medicine is very different than pot as a recreational drug," he said. According to widely accepted conventions of Jewish traditions, keeping kosher and most other laws can be broken for medical reasons. To save a life, for example, a Jewish doctor can perform surgery on the Sabbath, a time which traditionally forbids work. The sentiment was backed by other rabbis interviewed by Vice (http://www.vice.com/read/rabbis-say-weed-can-be-kosher-413) on the subject earlier this year and goes a long way to explaining the Orthodox Union's decision.
Smoking for pleasure, though, remains off-limits. "Mind-altering substances are not exactly ideal," Weintraub said. "You can't do mitzvahs [observe the commandments] if you're high."
View gallery
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Source: Mic/Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153878144396995&set=br.AbpB4K0sHdvA-IwK2Ykc4Gam3uVQdR0FLf-IHR1LA-B2jLAhG0NVnRixIpkAOzi1OjrWI6deO4UyfvQOaHQLHWse77ia MzmcyBbJJ8tdfemRm8Fodb0t4VApGYU6mmgouQaBw_ci3Ip1QQ V6TgYDT_Fg&type=1&opaqueCursor=AbqLyaWqxyHlu2oXN4kzUKCs7NhbVJCDXE02R vBEBP4LSKq9aV30sy_qUMxUioCzEGdQT2SEs7UkW5uDkQyPkmQ HYs5vIcRERtSDNswu-cRZ4ovf_vHcXnqB-v8c5WuRVh_bu9qR9o4IY3tGKmBD5gIIcFnbj74UXPcqvTL3hj-vn4HpUDBwpxg-CKAkq8dSGFWb-HZPSue5jrh9hUyexxVTWeahSszUr2X4xVQIeNL_o8vHgAA--9HjKILrg22xheZv54kn4smFZIXOPL4OmmqIlgNQm7dIxNdK3Gg ez4vhkn4ZNoj-r58NJUfs7lE_mPdfawJU1ZPEflX6BoNecYpdaifO8nhfaUtWEe ZgqjCm88a7BWDGy7VvXqHBKcWseAUavEdTgkcQt75LXbAcJHjN i4W_ufKb8ptKB9WHoN8cxXDCim7pNqKJZ-0iIWzO9krdwCoHvoo3lV3PoxW1OS3AFsLo2zZdnN9OfxupZ4hd fw&theater) And that's the bad news for those craving a kosher weed brownie.
"Recreationally," Weintraub said, "it just doesn't seem like we're there right now."
In the struggle for legalized marijuana products, one group has often found itself left out of the pot party — Jews.
While plenty of Jews know how to enjoy a hit or two, for those who follow Judaic dietary laws, it's got to be kosher. And so far, that's been something of a problem. "Weed use for pleasure is forbidden," Andrew Zeitler, an Orthodox millennial living in Israel, told Mic.
Buzzkill.
But things may be starting to change. A New York company is gearing up to sell what it's billing as the first-ever kosher medical marijuana.
Vireo Health of New York (http://vireohealthny.com/), one of five licensed New York state purveyors of medical marijuana, announced on Wednesday that it has been officially certified kosher by the Orthodox Union. This means Vireo products — vaporization cartridges, capsules and oils — will display the OU coveted seal of endorsement: the ? symbol on its packaging.
"Being certified kosher by the OU will not only help us serve the dietary needs of the largest Jewish community in the United States, but also combat unfortunate stigmas associated with medical cannabis," Vireo CEO Ari Hoffnung said in a press statement (http://vireohealthny.com/vireo-health-of-new-yorks-medical-cannabis-products-first-in-world-certified-as-kosher-by-the-orthodox-union/). "Patients should never feel guilty or ashamed for using a product recommended by their physicians."
View gallery
.
http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/wVypuhdliADywki9uKyeLg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3NfbGVnbztxPTg1/http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/homerun/mic_26/9c1e98186547f00c6975a62083c075df
Source: Mic/Getty Images (http://gettyimages.com/) With the certification, Vireo will become the only legal marijuana distributor in New York state to obtain a kosher stamp of approval.
So what is the deal? Maybe you've heard of pork and shellfish, but marijuana? A plant? How can a plant not be kosher?
From a structural perspective, there's not much standing in the way, Rabbi Philip Weintraub of Congregation Agudas Israel in Newburgh, New York, told Mic.
"Vegetables are kosher," he said, noting that the key sticking point on the farm would be to ensure that no bugs or insect remains were left on the final product.
According to Weintraub, the really tough questions arise later. "Pot as a medicine is very different than pot as a recreational drug," he said. According to widely accepted conventions of Jewish traditions, keeping kosher and most other laws can be broken for medical reasons. To save a life, for example, a Jewish doctor can perform surgery on the Sabbath, a time which traditionally forbids work. The sentiment was backed by other rabbis interviewed by Vice (http://www.vice.com/read/rabbis-say-weed-can-be-kosher-413) on the subject earlier this year and goes a long way to explaining the Orthodox Union's decision.
Smoking for pleasure, though, remains off-limits. "Mind-altering substances are not exactly ideal," Weintraub said. "You can't do mitzvahs [observe the commandments] if you're high."
View gallery
.
http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/h.w5th3vgU..nrhj7ewcNw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3NfbGVnbztxPTg1/http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/homerun/mic_26/1b78ab6ae8d51e29b4c64857b699de61
Source: Mic/Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153878144396995&set=br.AbpB4K0sHdvA-IwK2Ykc4Gam3uVQdR0FLf-IHR1LA-B2jLAhG0NVnRixIpkAOzi1OjrWI6deO4UyfvQOaHQLHWse77ia MzmcyBbJJ8tdfemRm8Fodb0t4VApGYU6mmgouQaBw_ci3Ip1QQ V6TgYDT_Fg&type=1&opaqueCursor=AbqLyaWqxyHlu2oXN4kzUKCs7NhbVJCDXE02R vBEBP4LSKq9aV30sy_qUMxUioCzEGdQT2SEs7UkW5uDkQyPkmQ HYs5vIcRERtSDNswu-cRZ4ovf_vHcXnqB-v8c5WuRVh_bu9qR9o4IY3tGKmBD5gIIcFnbj74UXPcqvTL3hj-vn4HpUDBwpxg-CKAkq8dSGFWb-HZPSue5jrh9hUyexxVTWeahSszUr2X4xVQIeNL_o8vHgAA--9HjKILrg22xheZv54kn4smFZIXOPL4OmmqIlgNQm7dIxNdK3Gg ez4vhkn4ZNoj-r58NJUfs7lE_mPdfawJU1ZPEflX6BoNecYpdaifO8nhfaUtWEe ZgqjCm88a7BWDGy7VvXqHBKcWseAUavEdTgkcQt75LXbAcJHjN i4W_ufKb8ptKB9WHoN8cxXDCim7pNqKJZ-0iIWzO9krdwCoHvoo3lV3PoxW1OS3AFsLo2zZdnN9OfxupZ4hd fw&theater) And that's the bad news for those craving a kosher weed brownie.
"Recreationally," Weintraub said, "it just doesn't seem like we're there right now."