Is it a sin or sinful to smoke marijuana?

[jkiernan56]

I would just like to throw this question out there to see what people have to say on the matter.

For those who want to respond by saying that it is sinful because it is illegal (in most places in the US) and therefor breaking the law makes it sinful, please don’t go there. It does not hold water with me that breaking the law is always a sinful act.

You and I know that the law is not always right in this country - taking for example legalizion of abortion. Just because something is legal in this country does not mean it is morally right. Taking the converse, just because the law says something is illegal today (in most States) does make it sinful in my opinion.

Remember that alcohol also used to be illegal in this country and then later became legal. It wasn’t the change in the law that makes the use of something sinful or not sinful.

Your thoughts?

 

[TLM08]

I would guess that because it is illegal, marijuana smoking is probably a venial sin. Do do it with children around, it’s possibly a mortal sin.

 

[jkarp]

I would just like to throw this question out there to see what people have to say on the matter.

For those who want to respond by saying that it is sinful because it is illegal (in most places in the US) and therefor breaking the law makes it sinful, please don’t go there. It does not hold water with me that breaking the law is always a sinful act.

You and I know that the law is not always right in this country - taking for example legalizion of abortion. Just because something is legal in this country does not mean it is morally right. Taking the converse, just because the law says something is illegal today (in most States) does make it sinful in my opinion.

Remember that alcohol also used to be illegal in this country and then later became legal. It wasn’t the change in the law that makes the use of something sinful or not sinful.

Your thoughts?

I’m not sure if it is or isn’t sinful but I think it definitely tends towards the direction of sinfulness. For starters it is willfully dulling your faculties, thus opening you to things you might not normally do or say. Next, it potentially leads to more serious drug abuse and we are called to avoid the near occasion of sin. Third, the distribution network is a horribly criminal/sinful chain including muder, corruption, prostitution, rape, etc. Receiving the product of such horribly sinful activity certainly can not be good for your soul.

As for whether or not it is sinful, I don’t know . . . I am pretty sure that it is a bad idea though.

 

[frankblahnik]

It is sinful if it weakens your mind or obscures your intelligence.

There is a demon involved with marijuana as with most things-food, money, sex, alcohol, ect… So be careful.

I put marijuana in the same catagory as alcohol. Don’t abuse it. It’s better not to use it.

It is a sin if someone who loves you does not want you to use it and you use it anyway.

*Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse.

May the peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Oh Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of mercy for us all, I trust in you.*

 

[The_Chicken]

It is a sin to deny the sobriety of your sound mind and alter your state of mind using drugs…it is ok to drink alcohol, but it is not ok to be drunk. Your sobriety is a precios gift from God…you should ba able to appreciate. I didn’t mean to sound harsh.

 

[fbl9]

It is a sin to deny the sobriety of your sound mind and alter your state of mind using drugs…it is ok to drink alcohol, but it is not ok to be drunk. Your sobriety is a precios gift from God…you should ba able to appreciate. I didn’t mean to sound harsh.

and if your mind is not in a sound state at the time? meaning it is used as a relaxant.
did an unscientific experiment once.
the results were for myself i was a much more accurate shot when using.the reason i was much more relaxed.
when building something i could eye a peice up almost perfect without measuring.when checkd by mesurement it was within a 1/16 of an inch. when straight i was out by over a 1/4 inch.
as for alky i was even worse(never shot when on alky)
alcohol is also a relaxant.so while one may not be drunk after one or two they are definantly more “loose”
the negative effects of alcohol: from what i have been told/read are on par or over that of mariguna.
my personal amount for a day is approx 1/3 of a normal size joint.just enough to take the edge off the day.also it works as a delay for marital relations.

 

[AHapka]

Third, the distribution network is a horribly criminal/sinful chain including muder, corruption, prostitution, rape, etc. Receiving the product of such horribly sinful activity certainly can not be good for your soul.

That in my mind alone makes it sinful. Not that I support such activity, but growing it yourself would make it a far less grave matter.

 

[yellowbicycle]

I don’t think it’s a mortal sin. It does, however, fall squarely in the category of Things That Are Very Bad Ideas, like speeding and Ugg boots.
My friend, we will call him Mr. Potato Head, smokes pot.
He also drinks.
And on this particular night, he was also on Vicodin.
And I said, ‘Mr. Potato Head, you’re already drunk and high, what does the Vicodin do for you?’
And he said ‘Well, being drunk and high is like two PLUS two, but being drunk and high and on Vicodin is like two TIMES two.’
Sigh.

 

[jkiernan56]

It is a sin to deny the sobriety of your sound mind and alter your state of mind using drugs…it is ok to drink alcohol, but it is not ok to be drunk. Your sobriety is a precios gift from God…you should ba able to appreciate. I didn’t mean to sound harsh.

I don’t think your reasoning is very sound.

Everything that is being said about marijuana can also be said for alcohol. Why then would it be ok to have a drink (without getting drunk) and also being moderate with the amount of marijuana use? I certainily hope no one thinks that alcohol is intrinsically and inherently evil.

I am absolutely certain that the water Christ turned into wine at the wedding of Cana was real wine (and not grape juice as some have claimed). Here is the wedding story:

"On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each. Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” So they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, “Draw some out now and take it to the eadwaiter.” So they took it to him. hen the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom, and said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.” John 2:1-10

There would have been no need to serve the poorer wine later in the festival (after people had already been drinking) if it wasn’t really wine they were drinking. Common sense says that the reason why the poorer wine was served later rather than earlier was because those drinking would be feeling the effects of the wine - and thus the poorer wine would not be noticed as much.But in the case of the wedding feast at Cana, the better wine was served last and the poorer wine in the beginning.

It is clear to me that alcohol or the act of drinking alcohol is NOT objectively sinful. How much a person drinks, their intentions for drinking, and possibly the circumstances surrounding the person who is drinking … might deem drinking sinful in my view (ie - driving home in a car after having a few drinks would put the driver and others safety at risk). Christ uses real wine to change into His Blood at the Eucharist and at the Last Supper. Therefore drinking wine cannot be sinful in and of itself.

Since everything that can be said about alcohol can also be applied to marijuana, so far there have been no ideas that support that smoking it is sinful. Remember the slogan that “guns don’t kill people, people kill people with guns.” Everything that God created He declared was “good”. It is the misuse of something good that makes the act evil - not the thing itself that is being used. Jesus said it is what is in the inside of a person that comes out that renders them unclean, not what goes into them from the outside.

 

[fbl9]

Everything that God created He declared was “good”. It is the misuse of something that is good that makes the act evil - not the thing itself.

reminds me of an occasion i had with a friend of mine. friend had a plaque saying man made booze, God made marijuana:who do you trust?i would have to agree with the last sentence of your post.of course the ealier one is true too.

 

[edwest2]

It is a sin. Marijuana is harmful. Period. Growing it yourself is illegal. Period.

I have seen no good evidence from medical professionals that even so-called medical marijuana is good or useful.

Peace,
Ed

 

[jkarp]

Not that I support such activity, but growing it yourself would make it a far less grave matter.

Very interesting point. Very much the same as: would it be okay if it was legal and could be bought in stores? I guess the question would then be one of sobriety as other posters have pointed out.

 

[Irish_Polock]

Genesis 1:11-12,29
11 And he said: Let the earth bring forth the green herb, and such as may seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind, which may have seed in itself upon the earth. And it was so done. 12 And the earth brought forth the green herb, and such as yieldeth seed according to its kind, and the tree that beareth fruit, having seed each one according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

29 And God said: Behold I have given you every herb bearing seed upon the earth, and all trees that have in themselves seed of their own kind, to be your meat:

1Tim4:4-5
4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be rejected that is received with thanksgiving: 5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

Well… “It’s in the Bible”. Still, it’s not a great idea to become a raging pothead. :hey_bud:

 

[TLM08]

It is a sin. Marijuana is harmful. Period. Growing it yourself is illegal. Period.

I have seen no good evidence from medical professionals that even so-called medical marijuana is good or useful.

Peace,
Ed

French fries and cigarettes are harmful too. So what?
The sin would come from the fact that civil autorities have declared it illegal.

 

[jkarp]

French fries and cigarettes are harmful too. So what?
The sin would come from the fact that civil autorities have declared it illegal.

They declared religion illegal in Soviet Russia, does that make religion sinful?

 

[Nino]

For centuries the upper crust used loco weed…there was no middle class till the industrial revolution…and the lower peons (like my folks) did not have the ‘privilege’ to use the stuff for they had to do the work etc. The name “dope’was used for many years…the seven drawfs had a moronic one called dopey for thats what he was…a silly stupid grin etc…during WW2 dope was changed to mean ‘information’ as a test case to see if the masses can be so manipulated…one can hear it used in many WW2 movies…hey have you heard the latest dope corporal,we’re movin out tomorrow? after the second war to end all wars,the ‘dope’ became a mind boggling substance again…but when the middle class started to give children money to go and buy stuff in school,the estabishment began to rethink …'mmm,lets change the name from dope to a more appealing one…we gotta get these kids earlier” and so they did…" joint" was used but dropped,joints can hurt…'weed" also but one pulls out weed…‘grass’ …but wise guys like me would put signs.‘please stay off the grass’ onto school and college lawns…finally they hit on it…I caught this right away on cafeterial duty…the seniors sit farthest away from the food and women…the juniors and sophs along the walls.but the frosh…scared and lonely sit right up front next to the food and women…and when a frosh gets off the buss and all dejected opens the front door,he hopes to smell home cooking from the kitchen.to re-assure him…comfort him…and he does and is…from mommies…pot…yes…POT. and so the powers that be re-named a horrible substance pot…how cute…JEdgar called them “Masters of Deceit” and they are…dope was so appropriate,for one is a dope for using any substance that harms the brain cells,dulls the wits and makes money for organized crime…have a nice day.Nino

 

[jkiernan56]

They declared religion illegal in Soviet Russia, does that make religion sinful?

Good point JKARP

I did a little research on Wikipedia and found out that cannabis was an ingredient of holy anointing oil mentioned in various sacred Hebrew texts.

" … cannabis was an ingredient of holy anointing oil mentioned in various sacred Hebrew texts. The herb of interest is most commonly known as kanah-bosem (קְנֵה-בֹשֶׂם; the singular form of which would be kanah-bos[14]) which is mentioned several times in the Old Testament as a bartering material, incense, and an ingredient in holy anointing oil used by the high priest of the temple.

The Septuagint (300AD) translates kanah-bosem as calamus, and this translation has been propagated unchanged to most later translations of the Torah (1500BC+). However, Polish anthropologist Sula Benet published etymological arguments that the Aramaic word for hemp can be read as kannabos and appears to be a cognate to the modern word ‘cannabis’,[15] with the root kan meaning reed or hemp and bosm meaning fragrant. Both cannabis and calamus are fragrant, reedlike plants containing psychotropic compounds. While Benet’s conclusion regarding the psychoactive use of cannabis is not universally accepted among Jewish scholars, there is general agreement that cannabis is used in talmudic sources to refer to hemp fibers, as hemp was a vital commodity before linen replaced it."

 

[jkiernan56]

" … for one is a dope for using any substance that harms the brain cells,dulls the wits and makes money for organized crime…have a nice day,

Nino, you should refrain from drinking any form of alcoholic beverage as well. Otherwise you would be a hypocrite using your own words. You certainly should avoid anything that could potentially make you more “dull”. LOL

Have a nice day too !!!

 

[Ron_Conte]

There is no legitimate scholarship supporting the claim in wikipedia that marijuana was an ingredient in holy oil described in the OT.

Whether or not an act is sinful always depends upon the three fonts of morality:

1. intention
2. the act itself (acts that are intrinsically evil are always immoral)
3. the circumstances, including consequences

Use of drugs in general is not intrinsically evil, since some drugs, even very strong drugs, are used in medicine. So smoking marijuana would not be intrinsically evil.

The intention must be good. Using drugs to get high, i.e. for reasons of self-indulgence, would be immoral. God intends that human persons enjoy life by cooperating with grace, acting with love, faith, and hope. Use of drugs to get high is clearly not a cooperation with grace.

One might use a drug such as marijuana for medical reasons; this is very narrow and applies to only relatively few cases. The intention would be good.

The good done must outweigh the bad; it is clear from medical evidence that marijuana has harmful effects. While moderate use of alcohol clearly has health benefits, use of marijuana even in moderation clearly has heath detriments (including harm to lungs from smoking unfiltered marijuana cigarettes), harm to the brain itself, harm to the soul in that use of drugs for self-indulgence is selfish, and perhaps other harmful effects on the body.

So use of marijuana would be moral only in relatively rare cases.

 

[jkiernan56]

Use of drugs to get high is clearly not a cooperation with grace.

QUOTE]

Ron, do you know that you can get “high” drinking alcohol?
You and Nino should avoid drinking any alcoholic beverage or anything that contains alcohol in it (ie - cold medicine etc …). Again I am amazed at the lack of common sense.

I will respond to some of your other comments in a later post.