Just as we realized the the prohibition of alcohol in the early 20th century was a failure, and had to undo it, we should do the same today. To be sure, some people may have been concerned that repealing prohibition sent a message that drinking alcohol habitually or in large amounts was OK. But that is a risk we had to take. If we speak to our children honestly and tell them about the dangers of marijuana — panic attacks, mental health problems, anxiety, accidents, making bad decisions — and supervise them appropriately, then b’ezras Hashem we can keep them from using the drugs.

In practice, the government will continue to lock tons of people up for using marijuana as long as it is illegal. Decriminalization would be an improvement but would retain all the violence and public health problems associated with a black market. That is why I support complete legalization.

It is possible there are some real “pushers” who deserve to be punished harshly, but most drug dealers are not in the business of cajoling people into using the drug — they’re just providing people with a product they want, and if they didn’t do it somebody else would. If that’s all they’re doing then I think it’s a poor life choice, but not something worth a prison sentence.

What’s ridiculous is to legalize it for recreational purposes and then expect people to stay away from it (especially children). That’s like giving a teenager a computer with non-filtered access and expecting him not to surf porn sites! Only an absolute idiot expects that his kids won’t look merely from his request to refrain!

Also the marijuana does not have to be smoked, it can be baked into foods. In fact I have seen medical marijuana foods here in Israel with a hechsher on them.

Yanky55 – I can’t really speak for R’ Hoffman, but I’m going to guess from his statements that he wouldn’t object for someone with cancer. Of course, that would be something that an individual would have to ask his posek and is not something that is a psak for the general public.

yytz – your comment is akin to someone saying, “I object to premarital relationship, but I feel that we should hand out contraceptives”. That’s just ignorant thinking.

Using marijuana for enjoyment is probably one of the worst things a person can do with his life. I have personally seen people who as youths light up and later drop out of society preferring a basically hedonistic lifestyle. It ruins family values not to mention Torah values.

However, I have seen people in late stages of illnesses that are killers and generate much pain. One of my close friends was in such an advanced state of an illness that the pain was more than he could endure. The doctors gave him medical morphine so that he could cope with his last days.

There is a place for medical drugs (they are called drugs since many are just that: drugs). It is for relieving pain. Medical marijuana is the same; if used to help a person who has a physical illness that can not be cured, well, then it is in the service of man.

But if the person just wants a ‘pickup’ from something minor or a personality problem that can be solved otherwise, etc, marijuana can be the worst thing possible.

Like all things, cool intelligent minds must decide if this particular case or that case requires medical marijuana or not and not the prospective user.

I do not believe there is a case to forbid medical marijuana anymore than medical morphine and I do not believe there is a case to permit recreation marijuana anymore than there is any reason to permit recreational morphine, heroin, etc.