Am Yisrael High: The Story of Jews and CannabisAm Yisrael High: The Story of Jews and Cannabis
New Books in Drugs, Addiction and Recovery
A panel of Jewish scholars, activists, a lawyer and a rabbi discuss how cannabis weaves through Jewish history, spirituality, law and culture. Their conversation ranges from ancient texts to modern legalisation and ethics, with plenty of humour and debate along the way.
1:07:58•20 Apr 2026
Am Yisrael High: Jews, Cannabis, and a Very Unusual Exhibit
Episode Overview
- Cannabis has deep roots in Jewish history, appearing in traditional texts, ritual uses and early medicinal contexts.
- Many Jews entered cannabis work through a mix of personal use, family background in drug policy or law, and encounters with the drug war.
- Speakers link cannabis to Jewish spirituality, suggesting it can help some people access the kind of altered consciousness hinted at in mystical texts and Shabbat or festival practice.
- The panel highlights how historic exclusion from mainstream professions pushed many Jews towards grey or emerging markets, including the cannabis industry.
- Ethical questions around legal cannabis, racial injustice and tikkun olam are raised, with calls for more conscious, justice-minded participation in the industry.
“"Cannabis certainly saved my spiritual life."”
What insights can experts and survivors share about addiction? Here, the focus zooms in on cannabis, Jewish history, and how one plant sits at the crossroads of law, spirituality, and counterculture. Recorded at YIVO’s exhibit opening for **“Am Yisrael High: The Story of Jews and Cannabis,”** the conversation is moderated by exhibition director Eddy Portnoy, who kicks off by explaining how a Hanukkah-themed glass bong pushed him to start collecting contemporary Jewish cannabis artefacts.
From there, you’ll hear a mix of scholarship, sharp humour, and very personal stories.
Cannabis horticulture legend **Ed Rosenthal** talks about turning a spare New York bedroom into a grow room, battling censors during the height of the drug war, and why he calls cannabis “an intellectual drug.” Journalist **Madison Margolin** shares how she grew up with Judaism and fighting the drug war as “the two religions” in her house, and how cannabis law and Jewish identity entwined her career in reporting on psychedelics and spirituality.
Cannabis and psychedelics lawyer **Adriana Kertzer** describes running a feminist, Jewish law firm that shuts down for Shabbat and jokes about realising she was “a cannabis feminist” only once she started buying her own supply.
**Rabbi Dr Yosef Glassman**, a physician and specialist in Jewish cannabinoid therapeutics, traces references to cannabis in Jewish texts, from Shabbat candle wicks to incense in the Temple, saying, “Cannabis certainly saved my spiritual life.” You’ll also hear debate on why so many Jews work with cannabis, how historic exclusion pushed Jews towards grey markets, and what ethical responsibility Jewish cannabis professionals might have given the racial harms of the drug war.
The tone is smart, funny, occasionally irreverent, and ideal for anyone curious about how culture, faith and a once-criminalised plant intertwine. If you’ve ever wondered how cannabis can be talked about in the same breath as Torah, trauma, tikkun olam and tax policy, this one’s going to stick with you.
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