Dec 31, 2015

OU, Marijuana, and Bet Shemesh

In the past day there have been two specific news reports that were reported separately and are seemingly not connected to each other. I think it is very likely they are conected.

The two stories:
1. The OU, for the first time ever, is now giving kashrut certification on [medical non-smokable] marijuana.
source: NBC News
2. A Haredi woman in Bet Shemesh was arrested for growing marijuana (and for neglecting her kids)
source: YWN

So, how are these connected?

I would suggest that this woman in Bet Shemesh was probably opening the Israeli division of the medical marijuana company. And OU Israel was going to certify it.

This entrepreneurial endeavor was ready to break out internationally, though it seems that with her arrest the timing is going to be thrown off a bit

The question is, with some people not accepting the hechsher of the OU Israel as authoritative and reliable, would we have a situation in which some people would eat from the American division certified by the OU but not from the Israeli division certified by the OU Israel?



------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

2 comments:

  1. Please post a tshuvah discussing relevant trumot, maasrot orlah shviit issues. And apropriate brachot.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I would understand that on leafy vegetables, people will want a high standard, definitely not less than Hasalat-Gush Katif.

    ReplyDelete