is permitted. Some however have argued against these views, and contended that cannabis could have positive uses for religious experience within Judaism. In 2016, Belarusian-Israeli rabbi Chaim Kanievsky declared that medicinal cannabis was kosher for Passover. In January 2016, the Orthodox Union certified some medical cannabis products made by Vireo as kosher, their first medical cannabis certification. In the United States, the Jewish Social Policy Action Network in Philadelphia and Rabbi Eric Cytrin of Temple Beth El in Harrisburg, have supported medical legalization efforts for cannabis in Pennsylvania. Kashrut If smoked, under normal circumstances there is no reason cannabis would not be kosher, although some rabbis apply this only to medical cannabis, not recreational usage. On Shabbat and holidays, smoking cannabis would be forbidden because lighting fires is prohibited. If cannabis is "eaten", as cannabis edibles are, there may be small insects inside which are not kosher, so it is recommended to only use brands that are certified as kosher. For cannabis grown in Israel, the plants must observe Shmittah, but this does not apply to cannabis from elsewhere. References