israel leading in medical marijauna research

[muman613]

There is no prohibition of marijuana in the Torah. Cannabis was used in rituals by Jewish priests.

The Coon,

I found this mention which may be what you are referring to:

http://ohr.edu/explore_judaism/ask_the_rabbi/ask_the_rabbi/2578

One modern commentator suggested that one of the ingredients of the anointing oil listed in the Torah, “kaneh bosem” which literally means “fragrant reed”, was cannabis. As far as I know, this idea is purely conjecture based on the reference to fragrance, and the purported phonetic similarity between otherwise different languages, i.e. “kaneh bosem” = cannabis. While this may be possible, it is only one opinion, is inconclusive and is not, as far as I know, based on traditional sources. In any case, “kaneh bosem” was only one ingredient mixed into oil and anointed. It was not in the incense, nor is there any mention of it being smoked.

[Kahane-Was-Right BT]

kaneh bosem... yes it would not be a surprise if that actually turned out to be cannabis.

[Rubystars]

I do think marijuana is a gateway drug, (alcohol can be too, but at least alcohol is legal and  you know what you're getting when you buy it at a liquor store, which isn't the same with unregulated materials like marijuana which could be laced with something else).

Salvia is illegal in some places already and I think the push is to make it illegal everywhere as soon as possible.

One of the strangest things to me is how one of the most dangerous and potentially lethal drugs is completely legal almost everywhere, belladonna.

[Dr. Dan]

What does being a religious Jew have to do with this? There is nothing in the Torah which prohibits medication.

Also you have not disproven the studies which show that it is not a gateway drug. You simply have tried to attack me..

You know it wouldn't surprise me that these very scientists are from the same group that believe homosexuality is normal.

[takebackourtemple]

That is debatable. I have never heard a Rabbi state this. Could you find any source which supports this?

Did the Cohen's even have access to Cannabis? I was under the impression that it came from the America's because the American Indian's used it as part of their rituals. A Wikipedia search shows that it was used in Ancient China and India so it might be possible that Israel had access to it in ancient times.

If Medical Marijuana truly was used sold as a drug for medical purposes and the medical community unanimously supported it, I would not be opposed.
The way things stand right now, it is not marketed that way. Stores sell it in all sorts of hippie forms such as cakes, ice cream and pies. This is not to mention that most people just smoke it for social reasons.

[Tag-MehirTzedek]

I do think marijuana is a gateway drug, (alcohol can be too, but at least alcohol is legal and  you know what you're getting when you buy it at a liquor store, which isn't the same with unregulated materials like marijuana which could be laced with something else).

 Exactly. The dangers come precisely because its illegal. If it were legal their wouldn't be these problems, + their would be more freedom to choose, + money saved from the whole legal system (which is a bloodsucker to the taxpayers and future of the country), + possibly $ made by taxing it.

[Rubystars]

Exactly. The dangers come precisely because its illegal. If it were legal their wouldn't be these problems, + their would be more freedom to choose, + money saved from the whole legal system (which is a bloodsucker to the taxpayers and future of the country), + possibly $ made by taxing it.

The dangers don't come only from the fact it's illegal though. The drug itself is bad for people. Also I think if it were legal a lot more people would use it.

I've kind of gone back and forth on this issue.

On the one hand I think people in a free society should within reason be able to choose what they do to their own bodies, on the other hand, especially if there is socialized medicine, society will have to pay for the repercussions of such individual decisions.

Plus if it really does lead to people experimenting with other drugs then it can be very bad.

[Kahane-Was-Right BT]

Did the Cohen's even have access to Cannabis? I was under the impression that it came from the America's because the American Indian's used it as part of their rituals. A Wikipedia search shows that it was used in Ancient China and India so it might be possible that Israel had access to it in ancient times.

If Medical Marijuana truly was used sold as a drug for medical purposes and the medical community unanimously supported it, I would not be opposed.
The way things stand right now, it is not marketed that way. Stores sell it in all sorts of hippie forms such as cakes, ice cream and pies. This is not to mention that most people just smoke it for social reasons.

Let's get something clear.   What muman posted is about medical research on marijuana's medicinal properties.   That is only for the purpose of use as a medical treatment and has absolutely NOTHING to do with recreational use of the drug or what people do in their spare time.  So "the way things stand right now" (in your last paragraph) has nothing to do with it.   If they find a medical purpose, it will be tested and have to get FDA approval like any other drug, and then it will be sold as a medication which can only be prescribed by a doctor.  

This has nothing to do with "drug use!"

Btw- the whole point of a "gateway drug" is that there is a recreational use by a person, who then decides to seek other drugs for recreational use to replicate that experience or create an even stronger one.    That is why I said that there is no connection and compared this to the nonsense of saying that an arthritis drug will lead to alcoholism.   If someone is prescribed a medical treatment, that is NOT the same thing as recreational use of that substance as a drug or high and then seeking other, stronger drugs to replicate it.   Recreational means you are using it "for fun" - not for a medical need.

As muman has pointed out, the jury is still out on whether marijuana is a gateway drug, but even if we assume that it is and that Chaim is correct about that point, that really does not have any bearing on a proven medical treatment, should one come about.     These researchers should go from strength to strength and find something really important!   If the research doesn't end up leading to any cures or approved treatments, Oh well, but then it was still worth the effort to find out because some indications about the substance are promising and could lead to something.