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    27 Apr KASHRUS QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK

    Posted at 01:27h in by
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    Last Thursday,
    adult-use marijuana sales became
    legal in the Garden
    State — opening
    the doors to what analysts believe
    could be a $2 billion market by
    2025. Voters in the state first approved a ballot measure legalizing recreational marijuana sales
    in Nov. 2020, and Gov. Phil Murphy signed the bill into law in Feb.
    2021.
    Q: Does marijuana need a hashgacha and does it need a bracha?
    A: If it is plain marijuana that you
    are smoking or using as vapor,
    it does not need a hashgacha. If
    someone wants to eat marijuana,
    it must have a hashgacha. It is not
    eaten straight; it is used as an ingredient in many foods. We at the
    OU are certifying cakes that have
    cannabis in it, we are certifying
    candy and soft drinks that have
    cannabis in them and these are
    obviously all things that need a
    hashgacha. What we are not certifying is recreational marijuana.
    However, there are different parts
    of marijuana. There is the CBD
    which is not a drug and that is
    something the OU will certify.
    We will not certify recreational
    marijuana, just like we will not
    certify cigarettes. Something that
    is unhealthy and carries a label
    that it should not be consumed is
    not something we would certify.
    So just as we don’t certify cigarettes, we’re not going to certify
    marijuana, unless the
    world opinion of marijuana changes and doctors and the medical
    community say there’s
    no issue with taking
    recreational marijuana,
    but that is not currently
    the case. We do certify
    medical marijuana because that is not taken
    just for recreational purposes; it
    is used by people typically as a
    painkiller, which we understand.
    People have come to us and told
    us they use marijuana as a painkiller, and
    it keeps them functioning. We
    are monitoring the situation
    and keeping on top of it. Things
    change and that’s part of the excitement of being in the world of
    kashrus; keeping your eyes open
    to the changing world and seeing
    how it affects food and how it affects what we are doing.

    DISCLAIMER: Rabbi Moshe
    Elefant and the Jewish Vues do not
    endorse or encourage the use of
    marijuana.