Is it a sin to smoke marijuana

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It is not a sin because it is an intoxicant. It is no more intrinsically harmful to one than alcohol.

It is a sin because it is illegal. We must obey the laws of Caesar and Christ.

Don’t listen to those here who are telling you other reasons.

You can waste your life on pot or booze but the difference is that marijuana supports an underground economy of guns, murder and other crimes.

The sale of marijuana is not taxed and the profits go to criminals who pay no taxes. It supports no hospitals, roads or schools.

If you smoke marijuana you are destroying the fabric of society as much as your brain cells, sperm cells, ambition (proven) and interior organs, particularly your lungs.

It is a sin, stupid and selfish.
 
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jimmy:
The main reason it is a sin is because it is against the law.

It may be a sin because it distorts your mind.
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Its been declassified over here so is it less a sin now than it was before?
 
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jimmy:
The main reason it is a sin is because it is against the law…
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So abortion is ok then? 😉

While there is a great overlap of things that are both illegal and immoral
There are probably plenty of illegal things that are not under the Church’s preview
And many immoral things that frankly are none of the government’s business.

In my book pot seems like alcohol…ok in itself but a problem if done in excess.

It lowers inhibitions and makes you hungry and horny so there is the “lead me not into temptation” issue

But I’ve known stoned people and I’ve known drunks
And frankly stoned people are much easier to get along with
Some drunks can get downright belligerent
 
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George2:
It is a sin because it is illegal. We must obey the laws of Caesar and Christ.

Don’t listen to those here who are telling you other reasons.
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It is a sin, stupid and selfish.
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I find it interesting that when we change topics, you have a different outlook on whether illegal behavior is a sin.

From your post on another thread, posted three hours after the one above:
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George2:
Good for you. I have the utmost respect for those who resist this evil tyranny.

Your jail time was worth it. This is the most important moral issue in the world today bar none.

If more people get off their duff and make pro-life work their priority we can stop the slaughter.
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The issue of whether disobeying the law is a sin, therefore, is quite relative.

Alan
 
Your argument is simplistic Allan.

The laws against marijuana exist to serve the common good, therefore they are moral.

The laws that de-criminalized abortion are immoral because they allow the death of innocent human beings.

What you are overlooking is that those Christians who conscientiously object to an immoral law, must nevertheless accept the penalty of the state.

I don’t agree with pacifism, neither does the Church but I nevertheless respect those Christians who chose to be arrested for resisting certain wars.

I cannot respect the choice of those who fled - they did not fulfill their full duty as a citizen, to either serve or accept the state’s sanction.

Many laity, nuns, priests, bishops and cardinals have allowed themselves to be arrested protesting immoral laws or immoral policies, this is not the same principle as the marijuana analogy - because there is no moral argument for legalizing marijuana only economic and social ones.

You may now stand corrected.
 
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George2:
You may now stand corrected.
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Dear George2,

I would be delighted to, had you corrected me. As it is, you just explained your reasoning why you condone breaking the law on one issue but not on another. Therefore, in an absolute sense you are condoning neither strict adherence to, nor wholesale disregarding of the law.

As I recall, I had stated:
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AlanFromWichita:
I find it interesting that when we change topics, you have a different outlook on whether illegal behavior is a sin.
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The issue of whether disobeying the law is a sin, therefore, is quite relative.
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It would seem we agree on this. We might disagree on other points, but not on your relativism as regards “we must obey the laws of Caesar.”

Alan
 
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George2:
…The laws against marijuana exist to serve the common good, therefore they are moral. …
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What common good do they serve? It’s not like usage has been eliminated. All the law does is drive up the price and enrich LEAs with the confiscation of property (including some very egregious cases where innocent people lost their property)

I mean if you’re a hard-working stiff who pays your taxes and take care of your family why shouldn’t you be allowed to have a drink or a smoke at the end of the day?

I know some good, salt of the earth types who do just that.

True I also know a guy whose whole life revolves around getting stoned but he seems to be the exception and I consider him to be like the chronic drunks I know. It is the abuse of the substance and not the substance itself that is the problem.

Anyway, back OT. Do you consider Christ’s command to “give unto Caesar” to mean that we must do any fool-thing that Caesar dreams up? It is a balancing act. There is a need for legitimate authority for civil order but we must also guard against authoritarianism.

You’re not saying that the colonial Americans should have given unto George3 are you? 😉
 
Hi,

I only read some of the posts here, so this may have already been said.
An old priest once told me that alcohol was designed to gladden the heart, but these other drugs were designed to bomb you out. That is why they are considered immoral by the Church. How many doctors would recommend anyone take hard drugs? And I mean for no other reason than recreation. Someone told me the dealers lace marijuana with other highly addictive drugs like speed to keep the punters coming back for the big buzz. A drink or smoke (b cigarette) in moderation may well be healthy and extend your life. Not so with these other drugs. If the Church endorsed these other drugs, then civilisation would decay even further. Having said that I agree there may be a use for it such as with severe chronic pain where there is no substitute treatment. But that does not mean we should all go out and buy a bong
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John Russell Jr:
Someone told me the dealers lace marijuana with other highly addictive drugs like speed to keep the punters coming back for the big buzz.
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I’ve heard that, too. That’s why it needs to be regulated and taxed, so they can’t get away with that kind of stuff. Also, they wouldn’t be laced with dangerous pesticides applied using “war on drug” money for the chemicals and airplanes.

Alan
 
I posted this point in another topic and it’s relevant here:

Is prohibition of marijuana in accord with natural or moral law?

Marijuana is a plant (made by God Himself). What could be more unnatural than making nature itself illegal? (After all, Genesis describes how all the plants were seen as good by the Almighty and for man’s use.)

Also in 2000 years of documented marijuana use, not a single death is ever attributed to using marijuana. No OD’s. Also contrary to what I’ve read in this topic heading, no medical study has shown that lung, heart or any other disease has ever been linked to marijuana use. It’s not physically addictive. Apparently it’s a benign substance that does very little harm to the body, even when smoked.

Therefore, could one rightly state that the prohibition of marijuana is against the Will of God?
 
Yes, it is. I think it is, due to the fact that you allow something to take over your will. It would be the same for getting drunk. It is also against the law.
 
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catycatycaty:
I just think its such a bust that the church is against it if u do it in moderation and shes not against drinking alcohol in moderation. I dont think it should be abused but if u smoke it every once in a while i dont see whats wrong i mean there are many more dangers to our health in alcohol than in weed. I dont understand why the church has to see eye and eye with the law that the government lays down for us if much of our government is so corrupt. It would seem to me that their are many legal things that are immoral and many illigal things that are moral. So in essence i dont see why its a sin to smoke weed in moderation if it is morally alright.
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I do not think that it is appropriate to compare the smoking of pot with the drinking of alcohol.

There is a difference here that needs to be sorted out. Yes, it is true that alcohol is legal and pot is not legal. As such if you are somewhere and the smoking of pot is illegal then it is a sin because you are breaking a civil law.

The issue concerning pot is obscured by arguments claiming that this is a harmless drug. That is not true. Just like alcohol, for some people the first time can lead to addiction. Also with Pot there is mind altering properties to be considered.

A glass of wine with dinner is not sinful because it does not do any harm to the body. On the other hand if someone has inherited a gene that will cause that person to react to the alcohol then it should not be taken.

The drinking of alcohol to excess is very sinful because it indicates that the person does not care for his or her body. There are also a lot of other consequences to consider.

These days it is hard to get anyone to acknowledge the fact that the smoking of pot can also lead to permanent brain damage, and it can, if the person has an addictive personality lead to the intake of other more dangerous drugs.

As far as I am aware the Church does not have a stand on the smoking of pot, but it does take a stand on the taking of any drugs that cause harm to the body and soul of a person. Ultimately the smoking of pot can cause a lot of harm to the psyche of a person. That is why it can be sinful to smoke it, the same as it is sinful to drink alcohol if you are under the legal age, or to smoke cigarettes under the legal age.

Maggie
 
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AlanFromWichita:
I can’t see the Pope or John the Baptist doing it, but I can see Jesus and St. Paul, doing it. I have never been to Amsterdam but in the case of Jesus I notice that He was ridiculed for drinking. As He explained:
In the case of St. Paul, I base it on the fact that he considers everything permissible for him, although not all is useful. He also considers it correct to eat whatever is put in front of you when you are an invited guest. Therefore, I can see him having a toke when it came around in Amsterdam.
Therefore, I’d guess if St. Paul was in Amsterdam and it came around to him, he would take a toke for the glory of God! 🙂

Alan
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Alan is funny. He just made the 10 minutes i wasted reading this post worth it.

👍
 
Sin or not, illegal or not…smoking pot is dumb. I used to be an avid smoker up until 3 years ago, and I was such a moron all the time. Alls I could think about was smoking pot. I started when I was 14. There’s nothing “cool” about it, and don’t let anyone tell you it’s not addicting. Because once you fall into a habit of it, you form a mental addiction to it. It becomes the solution to your problems. Man, when I was on the stuff I couldn’t wait to come home from a hard day at work and smoke a bowl or 2.

Look, don’t waste you time. Even if you go to the Netherlands. Think about it, the country has legal prostitution, why would you want to participate in that kind of sinfulness? (not saying you would hire a prostitute, but you catch my drift)
 
I think smoking recreationally is sinful because you become seprated from God. BUT, I can not imagine that someone that smokes to releive pain from a serious illness is sinning. I wonder if there is a clear ruling from the top on this?
 
If having the occasional alcoholic drink or the occasional smoke of tobacco cigerette is a sin then yes it is. Marajuarna is no more harmful than any of these there fore it should be handled in the same way.

As for the Law, that really does depend on where you are, so i do not agree that it is a sin for that reason.

Also it depends on why you are doing it. In my oppinion if it is a social thing then yeah sure in moderation it is okay… If it is to escape from problems in life then no it is not good.

The problem here really is something that we all have to judge ourselves…Which is …what does ‘moderation’ mean to you?
 
oh my gosh, no wonder we Catholics have the reputation for being legalistic! geez! stop splitting hairs about “well if you do it here, its fine. there, its a sin” or “go ask a professional if its a sin” give me a break! is smoking pot a sin? YES! quit wasting your time getting high and focus on God! it wouldnt even be a question if you had your priorities strait. i’ll be praying for you.
 
oh and one more thing, stop trying to see how much you can get away with without technically sinning, and start trying to see how HOLY and CLOSE TO GOD you can be! everyone, especially me, should aim for this. it’s advice that really helps me in times of temptation. not trying to be rude, but someone on this thread needs to tell you the truth!
 
I personally think there is too much attention iven to the civil law aspect. Socially it’s wrong and it is a sin. If I see you at a party with a joint in your hands and your smoking I know your high. If a person has a glass of wine there’s achance it may only be one glass and the person may be fully aware and alert. the same can not be said of pot.
 
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