Nearly 75 Roshei Yeshiva and Rabbonim in Lakewood issued a Kol Koreh, Tuesday morning, banning the sale and use of marijuana. The Kol Koreh comes just as the State of New Jersey legalized the use of the drug. The Kol Koreh has a strong warning for any Yeshiva engaging in its use, as well as Baalei Batim who sell marijuana (even legally). The following is the English Kol Koreh, transcribed by YWN. The original documents appear below: BS”D Nissan 5781 KOL KOREH Translation Recently, the government of the State of New Jersey legalized the recreational use of marijuana.  There is no need to go into great lengths to describe the emotional, psychological, and spiritual destruction that is caused by any kind of drug use – including marijuana.  This leaves no room for any Jew to engage in recreational drug use of any kind, and one who engages in this kind of recreational activity should not be considered a member of our community. To our great sorrow, there are unscrupulous individuals in our community who engage in the business of of selling marijuana and marijuana related items [for the purpose of profit-making], and they have already ensnared precious souls in their terrible net. Now that this type of drug has been legalized, it will be easier for them to push their wares more publicly and aggressively. Therefore, we are coming to give warning to all the residents of our town, “Remove yourselves from the tents of these evil individuals, and you will not be destroyed through their evil deeds (Shmos 16:26).” We also turn to the Rabbonim of our town with a plea. Please explain to the community at large the great danger that is hovering over our community, so that this terrible scourge should not chas veshalom spread in our community.  We ask, as well, that the Rabbonim reach out to all those that dedicate themselves to the tzibbur, and plead with them to do all that is in their power to uproot the unscrupulous sellers of marijuana and marijuana related items from our community – so that they should not be able to continue in their crooked ways. It is self-evident that allowing this culture to pervade our ihr haTorah will put the entire fabric of Lakewood into great jeopardy.  Therefore, we hereby serve notice that any student of our yeshivos who will engage in the recreational use of marijuana, in any form, at any time, even in the slightest way, is considered a poretz gidros olam, has no place in our community, nor in our yeshivos, and will suffer severe consequences as is appropriate to a terrible breach such as this one. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
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