Why would you want to degrade your bodily and mental functions by using any “recreational” drug? I suggest you read the following:I know where the catholic church stands on recreational drug use.I agree wholey.but the idea of putting someone in jail for doing something(getting high) that is no different(IMO) than what can be achieved with alcohol(getting drunk) just rubs me the wrong way.can i be a catholic in good standing(when i convert of course) and be for drug legalization?
I don’t think that is what the posted is advocating. He is discussing whether drug use itself while absolutely being immoral should also be a punishable criminal offense. Not everything that is immoral is also illegal, for example adultery is much more condemned in the Bible than any type of drug use, yet you can go to prison for using drugs and there is no legal penalty for adultery. My personal belief is that no, private immorality should not be a punishable offense. While definitely immoral, the war on drugs has done absolutely nothing to reduce drug use and has cost this country an absolute fortune. I have seen how drug use destroys people first hand, and while I would never advocate anyone ever using drugs, it seems that the penalty that we apply to those who use drugs (prison, felony convictions) is just, if not more damaging than the actual drug use itself.Why would you want to degrade your bodily and mental functions by using any “recreational” drug? I suggest you read the following:
ewtn.com/library/CURIA/PCFDRUGS.HTM
Best,
Ed
The alternative is “no war on drugs.” If there is no war on drugs, why should people think that decriminalizing even “soft” drugs is a good idea? In fact, smoking and alcohol also contribute to health care costs.I don’t think that is what the posted is advocating. He is discussing whether drug use itself while absolutely being immoral should also be a punishable criminal offense. Not everything that is immoral is also illegal, for example adultery is much more condemned in the Bible than any type of drug use, yet you can go to prison for using drugs and there is no legal penalty for adultery. My personal belief is that no, private immorality should not be a punishable offense. While definitely immoral, the war on drugs has done absolutely nothing to reduce drug use and has cost this country an absolute fortune. I have seen how drug use destroys people first hand, and while I would never advocate anyone ever using drugs, it seems that the penalty that we apply to those who use drugs (prison, felony convictions) is just, if not more damaging than the actual drug use itself.
As far as official Catholic Doctrine goes, I am not aware of anything in it that requires you to be for or against any Civil laws affecting other people. For example, we can be pro-life, but are not required by our faith to vote for a pro-life candidate. I think, but again I am not positive, but you are only responsible for your own morality and can not contribute to the immorality of others, but this does not apply to things being legal or illegal.
Oh, for goodness sake; the same could be said about eating a cheeseburger.The alternative is “no war on drugs.” If there is no war on drugs, why should people think that decriminalizing even “soft” drugs is a good idea? In fact, smoking and alcohol also contribute to health care costs.
We are the Body of Christ on earth. Yes, we will be judged individually but why use anything that can affect your health, and even the health of others? People used to have healthy hobbies but now some lay around and smoke dope. It’s easier and guarantees a high.
Agreed, where do we draw the line in what activities the government can and can not legally prohibit us from engaging in? Being obese increases health care cost and is also immoral but I certainly do not want people going to jail for being obese. Once we allow the government the legal ability to protect us from ourselves we open the door to much greater restrictions on our freedom and liberty.Oh, for goodness sake; the same could be said about eating a cheeseburger.
I believe the reason they keep this 'drug prohibition going is ‘for profit’ prisons, in short, they have to ensure majority of the cells are kept occupied all the time, so they have to have certain laws in place that enough people will violate regularly.We tried the War on Drugs before, that era is known as Prohibition, but we didn’t learn the necessary lesson we needed to learn from the Prohibition era. Which is this: anytime a commodity is made illegal, the government has just created a tax-free source of income for anyone willing to take risks to supply that commodity. That the cartels became extraordinarily rich so quickly should not surprise anyone looking at it from that point of view. Further, there is no adjudicating contractual disputes in courts of law, hence violence is often the only way to enforce contracts or set examples to compel others to fulfill their contracts.
The entire country became sickened at the level of violence that accompanied the alcohol smuggling business hence the repeal of the 18th Amendment went through very quickly. Not to mention many jurisdictions at the beginning of the Great Depression were looking for new sources of tax revenues. I’m sorta surprised that we haven’t reached that point with the War on Drugs other than the few states that have voted in favor of marijuana. Yes, drug usage is bad. But the violence stemming from the illegal nature of the trade is also bad, not to mention the corrupting effects of the cartels making so much money so quickly. Which evil does one choose?
The problem with the current prescription laws is big pharma absolutely destroyed any credibility it had with its production and marketing of Oxycontin. They aggressively marketed Oxytocin as an medication that would limit and even prevent abuse when they knew good and well how easily it could be abused. There are actually documents from Purdue showing that they knew it could be abused and that their marketing was completely false, and they actually expected it would be abused and have a street market created for it. They were found criminally liable and fined hundreds of millions of dollars, but it is nothing compared to the billions they made and the hundreds of thousands of lives they destroyed. Purdue Pharma is directly responsible for the huge opiate problem we have in the country today. The executives should be in prison for the rest of their lives.I believe the reason they keep this 'drug prohibition going is ‘for profit’ prisons, in short, they have to ensure majority of the cells are kept occupied all the time, so they have to have certain laws in place that enough people will violate regularly.
Id say the other reason is competition with big pharma, they dont want the average person being able to go buy a comparable pain killer from a street dealer instead of having to go thru a doctor/ pharmacy…on the other hand, it kind of surprises me big pharma sits idle while the DEA and govt make prescription painkillers more difficult to even write scripts for…that doesnt make sense to me, seems like they would fight tooth and nail to make their products available to anyone with as little hassle as possible.
I can GUARANTEE, if the DEA were to even suggest new laws, regulations concerning tobacco or alcohol, those industries would be up in arms, having teams of lawyers ready to fight it in court…but big pharma sat by and watched nearly all prescription pain pills become harder and harder to get…even though they surely know what some of these drugs sell for on the street, this shows them what people would be willing to pay for them without a prescription, this could mean billions if not more for them…yet still, they sit by and do nothing…??
Alcohol was banned once before and it was an utter failure. It’ll never happen again.If you or I were given the choice to ban alcohol, I think I would also ban it. The negatives outweigh the positives SO heavily.
Allow me to remind you to reread the history of the Prohibition era. The time from the passage of the 18th Amendment in 1918 to its repeal via the 21st Amendment 13 years later in 1931 to be specific. When you read that, just maybe you’ll be open minded enough to understand why the country that once supported Prohibition would later turn against it. We’re reliving that history with the War on Drugs.Suffice to say, most people who have real world experience with drugs and drug users believe that pot legalization is a bad thing.
If you or I were given the choice to ban alcohol, I think I would also ban it. The negatives outweigh the positives SO heavily.
Cheeseburgers don’t have chemicals that makes people become addicted to them, they don’t impair a person’s reason, etcOh, for goodness sake; the same could be said about eating a cheeseburger.
how is marijuana less harmful? In school I was taught that if you use it enough it could affect your dopamine levels (the chemical that makes one happy)to the point where you can only produce dopamine if you are using marijuana. It’s also addictive like tabaccoDo you have a source for the assertion that “…most people who have real world experience with drugs and drug users believe that pot legalization is a bad thing”?
My own impression is the exact opposite.
It also strikes me as being unconscionable to allow the use of tobacco and alcohol, but not to allow the use of other drugs that are demonstrably less harmful–such as marijuana.
Jesus used alcohol. He produced alcohol for a party at his mother’s bidding. Even though the guests were already alcohol-impaired.
No argument that there are better hobbies than drugs, but I’m not going to condemn actions Jesus was okay with.
Not exactly true. There is some fascinating science taking place on the chemical responses that certain foods that are high in fat and sugar produce in the brain.Cheeseburgers don’t have chemicals that makes people become addicted to them, they don’t impair a person’s reason, etc
Suffice to say, most people who have real world experience with drugs and drug users believe that pot legalization is a bad thing.
If you or I were given the choice to ban alcohol, I think I would also ban it. The negatives outweigh the positives SO heavily.
I think my reasoning here takes human fulfillment and social concord to be VERY important values. The serious drug people I’ve met seem to have had their lives forestalled and even negated. (This is why some use the word “waste” or “waste case”.)
There are better hobbies than drugs. Try sports.
The American Medical Association attributes tens of thousands of deaths annually to alcohol, and hundreds of thousands of deaths annually to tobacco. Deaths associated with marijuana are those in which it is used in combination with other drugs, or in drug-related violence, or in unusual cases in which it is ingested in heroic proportions. I’ve never seen a reputable source identifying over a hundred deaths annually associated with marijuana per se. Alcohol and tobacco are demonstrably more lethal than marijuana.how is marijuana less harmful? In school I was taught that if you use it enough it could affect your dopamine levels (the chemical that makes one happy)to the point where you can only produce dopamine if you are using marijuana. It’s also addictive like tabacco
alcohol is only sinful when it’s too much
Jesus wasn’t advocating for people to get drunk. People can drink alcoholic drinks for the taste with no intention of getting drunk but do people who drugs do it for any other reason to get high?
Is it possible marijuana is a gate way drug? Also, I said earlier alcohol is bad if it’s too much. People who intend to get drunk are committing grave sins.The American Medical Association attributes tens of thousands of deaths annually to alcohol, and hundreds of thousands of deaths annually to tobacco. Deaths associated with marijuana are those in which it is used in combination with other drugs, or in drug-related violence, or in unusual cases in which it is ingested in heroic proportions. I’ve never seen a reputable source identifying over a hundred deaths annually associated with marijuana per se. Alcohol and tobacco are demonstrably more lethal than marijuana.
For the most part, people ingest alcohol for its drug effects. It’s that simple. In our culture people don’t like to admit that alcohol and tobacco are drugs because people don’t like to admit that they are drug users, that they have a drug habit, or that they are drug-dependent.
I don’t use alcohol, tobacco, or marijuana. I enjoy a Coca-Cola or other caffeinated beverages, so I acknowledge my use of the drug, caffeine.
In good conscience I can’t see sending a person to jail for producing or distributing drugs which are less-harmful than tobacco and alcohol.