Jews, what does Israeli tradition have to say about using something like marijuana?

I am Israeli. Some Israeli's use it and some Israeli's don't.

If you are asking for what Jewish law says about marijuana use, it is against it because it is unhealthy and a quick fix to problems but can lead to more problems.

Medical marijuana is different. The Torah says we are to ease suffering etc. Cancer victims and others benefit from marijuana use so Jewish halacha would be more grey on its use but in general be for it if it eases suffering in people.

Just smoking it for recreational purposes may seem like it is easing suffering but I believe that is the issue.

Most Jews (even a significant number of Orthodox Jews) are libertarians. Thus, as long as drinking or smoking pot is confined to recreational use and is not combined with other activities that might be dangerous, such as driving we would not be opposed to it.

Of course any activity that involves coercion, such as date rape drugs or getting someone drunk (or even tipsy) in order to take advantage of them runs counter to Judaism.

As for me, I would rather see marijuana legalized and taxed (like cigarettes). I see it as no worse than other legal vices. I would not want to see hard core drugs legalized.

As someone who has experienced the side affects of chemo, there have been a couple of days where I would have reached for a joint if I had one lying around.

There is no 'israeli tradition' in Judaism; Israel is the Jewish homeland and attitudes there towards drugs are as wide ranging as in any other country.

Ditto for Jews outside Israel. For example: I am totally *against* recreational drugs. Other Jews may disagree.

I would imagine that Orthodox Jews are anti - drugs. Judaism values good health above most or all other things, so the 'official' Jewish stance is highly unlikely to be favourable to drug taking :)

EDIT TO CHARASTO:

Oh dear. The fact that you had to resort to that weary little cheap shot about the Nazis really says it all. People only use that when they have no actual *facts* with which to debate.

Happily, I DO have FACTS.

The Palestinian Population is steadily *increasing*. Now, logic dictates that if, as you deceitfully state, there was genocide against the Palestinians, their numbers would hardly be INcreasing.

The *only* Palestinians that get killed are those involved in terrorism. What should Israel do? Just sit back and watch calmly while her innocent citizens get slaughtered by cowardly Palestinian terrorists who get signed up for Hamas at the age of ten???

It's amazing that so many people who have never even set foot on Israeli soil, are 'experts'. Except, as in the case of the painfully ignorant CHARASCO, they are not experts. Just twits.

Not much, although there is a running debate over if it is kosher for passover...go figure, right?