While alcohol can be taken in moderation, a lot of drugs are much more powerful and don’t really have an attainable margin between “no effect” and “intoxicating.” I’m pretty sure there’s no way to take, say, heroin or crack cocaine in moderation, so their use would almost always be a grave sin (of course, addicition would reduce your culpability somewhat). From what little I know about marijuana, it sounds like it could potentially be used in moderation, maybe from time to time as an herbal tea or something (heavily diluted of course), and there are one or two other drugs that according to rumour do not immediately get the user “wasted” (for lack of a better term). Also keep in mind the legality of the drug in question; marijuana for instance is illegal almost everywhere except one or two states in the USA and maybe a few countries in Europe. These prohibitions are not unjust laws and so ought to be respected. If you think the law should change, then try to change it through the proper channels, but while the prohibition is in effect you must not break it. Hand in hand with this issue is the problem of the origin of the drugs; if the drugs are coming from a slave-labor plantation in some lawless country, and the profits from the sale of the drug go toward fueling drug wars and gang violence, it is very very bad to purchase them.
All in all I’d say ninety-nine times out of a hundred drugs are abused rather than used appropriately, but it can probably be done right as long as:
1.) You are not significantly endangering your health or well-being (i.e. don’t use drugs that will poison you, that you can’t afford, or to an extent will get you addicted/dependent).
2.) You use them in moderation (i.e. not to an extent that will get you drunk or otherwise impair your mental or physical function).
3.) The use of the drug is legal where you live and for your age level.
and 4.) Nobody had to be murdered or anything for the drug to get to you.
That’s just what I think. Note that this is for recreational drug use; if you are using for medical reasons and you have a prescription, it means the doctor honestly thinks you would be better off with the drug than without it, and is giving you permission to take it, so in those circumstances you can cross the first three steps off the checklist.
Under these extremely limiting circumstances I think taking drugs would be no more sinful than drinking alcohol, but good luck acheiving all four of them. I personally do not take drugs or alcohol because it’s illegal where I live (you have to be 21 to drink), and I don’t smoke because it’s so unhealthy it scares me away. I do think, however, that there is nothing necessarilly wrong with any of those things intrinsically. Also, never use drugs as a substitute for doing the right thing; there is nothing wrong with having a glass of wine to help you enjoy a meal with some friends, but there is a problem with having a glass of wine to get your mind off your troubled marriage or shaky employment status. In those situations you need to do the right thing: make a greater effort at getting along with your spouse, maybe see a marriage counselor, see a doctor if you are depressed, and above all never lose trust in the providence of God.
