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Abba
Guest
Can a Christian sell weed? Legally or Illegally is it a sin?
Colorado: Can a Christian sell weed? Legally or Illegally is it a sin?
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Hoosier_Daddy
Guest
It’s a federal crime.
Obeying a just law falls under the fourth commandment.
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mVitus
Guest
But, Hoosier Daddy, on the other hand it’s legal by state law and the federal government doesn’t seem inclined to prosecute the cases of licensed marijuana vendors.
So the question really becomes: Do we follow the law on the book or the law in practice?
So the question really becomes: Do we follow the law on the book or the law in practice?
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Hoosier_Daddy
Guest
The federal government has chosen to back off for now. That does not change the morality of following just laws. There will be further debate when and if the federal government changes the law. Just because you know there are no cops on the road does not change the speed limit. rds
Speaking of which when the federal government set speed limits at 55 miles per hour, states were not happy. Those more inclined to states rights, like Montana, were forced to set a 55 mile an hour speed limit. However, the penalty was in thier discretion, so a 5 dollar in cash ticket for wasting a natural resource became thier stick it to the Feds.
It didn’t change the speed limit though. Until the Feds gave control back to the states. Then good old Montana did away with a limit altogether. This experiment did not last long, however it did last long enough for a college Hoosier daddy in a BMW to manage to get a ticket for speeding where there was no speed limit…
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esieffe
Guest
I believe I would err on the side of safety. Eternal life vs. risking it for a few dollars…:twocents:
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phil19034
Guest
From my point of view, it’s a sin.
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Hoosier_Daddy
Guest
Not just that but because of the limbo of legality it threatens your financial security. My wife had the opportunity offered her about two years ago to run a lab in Colorado for state regulated marijuana. The pay scale was impressive. Well over 6 figures. The problem is that federal Income taxes are tricky. Also, should the government choose to crack down on the industry, which could very well happen in the new administration you would be tainted for future employment in legitimate industries.
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mackbrislawn
Guest
Is the federal law against weed a just law? By the constitution, how can the federal government have jurisdiction over something grown and sold within a single state?
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EasterJoy
Guest
The answer is “no” even where marijuana is legal under civil law because there is no “recreational” use of marijuana that does not intend intoxication. It’s the same as producing or using a form of alcohol that always gets you drunk. Drunkenness is immoral; likewise, getting stoned without a therapeutic reason is immoral.
Watch carefully then how you live, not as foolish persons but as wise, making the most of the opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not continue in ignorance, but try to understand what is the will of the Lord. And* do not get drunk** on wine, in which lies debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and playing to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks always and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father*. Eph. 5:15-20
**CCC 2291 **The use of drugs inflicts very grave damage on human health and life. Their use, except on strictly therapeutic grounds, is a grave offense. Clandestine production of and trafficking in drugs are scandalous practices. They constitute direct co-operation in evil, since they encourage people to practices gravely contrary to the moral law.
Pope Francis has spoken out very strongly against laws legalizing recreational drug use.
Oh, and consider this, too:
forbes.com/sites/robertglatter/2016/12/30/syndrome-linked-to-smoking-weed-spikes-in-states-with-legalized-marijuana/#77d90df74968
I had a physician tell me that it is extremely hard to tell a pot smoker that their weed is what is making them throw up. They typically claim that they know some cancer patients find weed relieves their nausea, so they reason that their daily pot habit can’t possibly be causing their frequent vomiting and abdominal pain. (Either that, or they are dependent on their pot habit and resort to denial in order to avoid giving it up.)
Watch carefully then how you live, not as foolish persons but as wise, making the most of the opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not continue in ignorance, but try to understand what is the will of the Lord. And* do not get drunk** on wine, in which lies debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and playing to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks always and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father*. Eph. 5:15-20
**CCC 2291 **The use of drugs inflicts very grave damage on human health and life. Their use, except on strictly therapeutic grounds, is a grave offense. Clandestine production of and trafficking in drugs are scandalous practices. They constitute direct co-operation in evil, since they encourage people to practices gravely contrary to the moral law.
Pope Francis has spoken out very strongly against laws legalizing recreational drug use.
Oh, and consider this, too:
forbes.com/sites/robertglatter/2016/12/30/syndrome-linked-to-smoking-weed-spikes-in-states-with-legalized-marijuana/#77d90df74968
I had a physician tell me that it is extremely hard to tell a pot smoker that their weed is what is making them throw up. They typically claim that they know some cancer patients find weed relieves their nausea, so they reason that their daily pot habit can’t possibly be causing their frequent vomiting and abdominal pain. (Either that, or they are dependent on their pot habit and resort to denial in order to avoid giving it up.)
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stelline
Guest
I second EasterJoy: the purpose of marijuana use is to get high. Willful intoxication–hindering your judgment–is sinful.
I just know from experience how many family relationships it destroys, and how children are inevitably neglected by their high parents. Or hurt. Weed smokers don’t live in a bubble. They like to think that only they will be personally affected and it won’t hurt anybody else. I recall how in college I paid a visit to a baby at Oakland Children’s Hospital. Parents were high on weed when the baby choked on something. Long story short, their fogged minds led to a delay in getting help for the baby and he is now severely brain damaged and disabled.
Let’s not fool ourselves. Aiding in the distribution of pot, a harmful substance, is sinful. No need to consult the government on the issue–the government is NOT our moral compass. The Church is.
I just know from experience how many family relationships it destroys, and how children are inevitably neglected by their high parents. Or hurt. Weed smokers don’t live in a bubble. They like to think that only they will be personally affected and it won’t hurt anybody else. I recall how in college I paid a visit to a baby at Oakland Children’s Hospital. Parents were high on weed when the baby choked on something. Long story short, their fogged minds led to a delay in getting help for the baby and he is now severely brain damaged and disabled.
Let’s not fool ourselves. Aiding in the distribution of pot, a harmful substance, is sinful. No need to consult the government on the issue–the government is NOT our moral compass. The Church is.
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mVitus
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But to use your example wouldn’t you agree there’s a difference between speeding because you can get away with it as opposed to speeding because the cops have basically approved it. (The “technically it’s not allowed, but no enforces it and it would go against common understanding if someone did enforce it” case.)
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Abba
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Thank you EasterJoy,
Your post was helpful and informative. I did not keep up with Pope Francis in 2015 and was not aware of his position. Thank you for citing the CCC as well. I agree, I don’t think that cannabis should be legalized for recreational purposes. However, I think it should be legalized for medicinal purpose. Studies worldwide are being done to confirm its medicinal value and provide data and statistics.
Cannabis is not just good to control nausea from chemo but, it is known to actually cure cancer. One of the reasons the property value in Colorado has skyrocketed since the legalization of cannabis is that many sick people went to live there or bought vacation properties. Parents with children who suffer from a certain illness ( I forget the name right now) that makes them have seizures have found that the weed minimizes drastically the seizures. There are many videos on Youtube from people giving witness that the oil extracted from the cannabis has cured their cancer completely, put it in remission, or shrunk the tumors.
There is a man whose tumors disappeared with the Rick Simpson Oil (RSO) and he uploaded a video on Youtube. He cries because he is so disappointed with the FDA and the American Cancer Society. He says that they have known all along cannabis oil works and it is a crime not to let the public know and to legal its use for medicinal use. He had tumors which disappeared with the RSO.
On Youtube, I also saw a couple of interviews of a Spanish doctor who for going on 15 years, has been injecting tumor cells into rats, making them grow and then giving the rats thc. She says the thc shrinks the tumor or completely destroys them. There is a scientific explanation for the reason the thc has this effect on cancerous cells. It only destroys cancerous cells and not healthy one as oppose to chemo neither does it destroy the immune system as does chemo etc…
Cannabis oil was sold out of wagons of salesmen who would travel from town to town and it was supposed to be a cure-all oil etc… It definitely has its medicinal value from what I have concluded with my research.
Dennis Hill: Bio chemist cured his Prostate cancer using cannabis oil (MORE cureyourowncancer.org) youtube.com/watch?v=mrcySA2IsXA&t=31s
Dr Cristina Sanchez PhD cannabis and cancer
youtube.com/watch?v=rnVisZVZfHc
Dr. Confirms Cannabis Oil Cures Brain Tumor & Brain Cancer
youtube.com/watch?v=a6iba3sEUIg
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Hoosier_Daddy
Guest
No I would no agree. The cops have not approved of it. That is a misunderstanding of the legislative branch of government.
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Abba
Guest
I don’t think it is just for states to charge cancer patients $10k to ‘legally’ provide them with the oil. Insurance companies do not cover the expense and the patients are left in a difficult situation as many cannot afford the 10k. It seems to me that states should allow people to grow it for medicinal purposes or lower their prices.
I have been listening to a lot of pros and cons arguments on the legalization of recreational cannabis and let me tell you, both sides can be very convincing. There is the argument that it is not a gateway drug but, we are not talking Indians in some village smoking a peace pipe without the presence of heavy duty drugs like heroin etc… Yeah, I agree with the Pope.
Thank you all for sharing and helping me out on this one.
Whaoh, it was legalized in Jamaica, Uraguay, Massachusettes, Maine etc…
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EasterJoy
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Exactly. This is not a “both sides can be very convincing” matter. Recreational intoxication is seriously wrong. Trading in substances that are only used beyond moderation is also inherently wrong. That doesn’t mean that incarceration is the best way to deal with the problem, but legalizing weed and pretending it has no negative impact on society or on individual health is not a good way to deal with it, either.
As for medicinal marijuana, the AMA has urged the federal government to re-schedule marijuana and its derivatives so that evidence-based research can be conducted. Having said that, it is almost inconceivable that research will recommend smoking as a way to ingest a medication. Smoking marijuana is harmful to the lungs, particularly since the typical method of smoking pot (that is, holding the smoke in the lungs for an extended period of time) maximizes the amount of tar and pollutants delivered to the lungs. It is highly unlikely, therefore, that medical research will recommend smoking marijuana as a therapeutic mode of delivering THC.
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Bill_Martin
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It can’t. The federal government was never granted the power to ban plants. It’s a total violation of the 10th Amendment. That’s why they had to have a Constitutional Amendment to ban alcohol during prohibition. There was no other legal way for the federal government to ban it. And, when prohibition was lifted, another Constitutional Amendment had to be made to end it.
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Mintaka
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The federal government has the directive to “insure domestic tranqunllity” and “promote the general welfare” in all sorts of ways, which include instituting the regulation of legal drugs and the prohibition of toxic substances.
Each of the states also has these powers, as do local governments of counties and cities.
In practice, there is constant negotiation between federal powers and the powers of the several states and localities.
Each of the states also has these powers, as do local governments of counties and cities.
In practice, there is constant negotiation between federal powers and the powers of the several states and localities.
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mackbrislawn
Guest
But the federal government has to do this directive within the limits of the powers granted to it.
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EasterJoy
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Are you saying Congress had no authority to pass the Pure Food and Drug Act?
Marijuana is not regulated as a plant. It is regulated as a drug, which it is. It is disingenuous straw-splitting to pretend otherwise.
Yes, a Christian might have the paradoxical duty to oppose an unjust law that has regulation of an objective evil as its aim. Obviously, this would be the case if the state imposed the death penalty for relatively minor offenses. A Christian could arguably feel duty-bound to de-criminalize marijuana, because of the unjust effects of the war on drugs. That does not imply that it would be morally permissible for a Christian to deal recreational drugs. It would still not be OK.
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Abba
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Can you provide information regarding this? My understanding is that neither the medical nor pharmaceutical community is interested as it will affect the multi-billion dollars they rake in from cancer. The weed can be obtained inexpensively if people just put the seeds in the ground. In an international conference in Europe pharmaceutical researchers were asked if they planned to conduct a research to provide data and the response in the main is that there is no money on the other side. They invest in research that will leave a profit if successful. One shot of chemo cost on the average 20k and 4k go directly in the pocket of the prescribing physician - each time. Yet, chemo has a less than 2% success rate according to a nationwide Austrailian study. Chemo works on three types of cancer and since it was first discovered (derived from a bioweapon used on Italian soldiers during World War II and the doctors noticed the cadavers of the victims had hair loss etc… and realized it killed fast duplicating cells) this has not changed.
The man I mentioned whose cancer was cured with thc and many in this whole cannabis - cancer community think that the FDA in affiliation with the AMA etc… have intentionally deprived people of cures to promote profit making solutions. Such as, for instance, illegalizing vitamin b17.
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