“Did they have Tobacco in the Ukraine at that time?”
I think someone mentioned it, but yes, they did- tobacco came to Europe in around 1528, a good 175 years before the Baal Shem Tov was born.
I think it’s dangerous but (should be) legal, like tobacco. It’s not LSD or cocaine, but it’s pretty risky and potentially harmful, even while at the same time having medicinal properties (more than you can say for tobacco to the best of my knowledge…).
Okay, looking over the previous posts, I essentially agree with yytz.
The Orthodox Jewish community is listed in my psych textbook as a community with one of the lowest rates of drug use. Let’s please keep it that way.