Is Smoking Marijuana A sin?

[The_Otaku]

I think that if the intention is there to get stoned and have a ‘trip’ just as it is to drink to get drunk for the sake of it, then yes, I feel it is sinful to smoke mj, as in this scenario, it’s a form of debauchery.

I give a little leeway to those who do it to escape reality, physical/mental/spiritual abuse, etc, as these people do it for a different reason, but, in the end, are looking for the same thing- a temporary escape or delusion that will numb them to the reality they’ll come back to hours later (or sooner if the potency of the mj isn’t all that great). If they want to be saved and comforted, turn to Christ, not a plant.

I don’t think this should be broken down into potency either, as less or more is irrelevant to me. If the intention is to get high and revel in the human stupidity that comes with being inebriated and out of your right mind and senses, then how can that not be a sin on any level? Whether you’re able to get high, sufficiently high to your liking, or you fail at achieving it altogether, the intent was to get there and be in that state of being, and thats where sin comes in, IMO.

 

[twf]

I live in British Columbia. Technically pot use is still illegal here. In practice, however, this law is almost never enforced. I can not begin to count the number of times I have walked past people openly smoking pot in public. There is a restaurant dedicated to pot use downtown which is totally ignored by the police…
In a society which clearly accepts and tolerates marijuana use, would it still be inherently sinful in moderation? Would it really be that different from moderate use of alcohol? (Just to be clear, I personally have no interest whatsoever in smoking pot…but it is a very relevant issue for Catholics in this region).

The irony is that tobacco is very much frowned upon. A recent law makes tobacco smoke illegal in ALL public buildings and within 3 metres (about 10 feet) of all public buildings. This law, unlike marijuana use, IS enforced. There is not a pub in Vancouver which allows tobacco smoke…

 

[elts1956]

I live in British Columbia. Technically pot use is still illegal here. In practice, however, this law is almost never enforced. I can not begin to count the number of times I have walked past people openly smoking pot in public. There is a restaurant dedicated to pot use downtown which is totally ignored by the police…
In a society which clearly accepts and tolerates marijuana use, would it still be inherently sinful in moderation? Would it really be that different from moderate use of alcohol? (Just to be clear, I personally have no interest whatsoever in smoking pot…but it is a very relevant issue for Catholics in this region).

The irony is that tobacco is very much frowned upon. A recent law makes tobacco smoke illegal in ALL public buildings and within 3 metres (about 10 feet) of all public buildings. This law, unlike marijuana use, IS enforced. There is not a pub in Vancouver which allows tobacco smoke…

Makes one have complete trust in the law doesn’t it? Hate to say it, but I wonder who is paying who? As I have said on this thread previously and I will repeat it here, a marijuana joint has six times the tar that an ordinary cigarette has. And the government is really worried about citizen’s health? Ya gotta be kidding. If smoking marijuana is “only” a venial sin (I couldn’t say for sure). it is still one of the dumbest things I can think of to do. High in the #10 list.

 

[gmags2003]

In terms of it being a gateway drug…I’ll show you some science:

Marijuana is not a “gateway” drug that predicts or eventually leads to substance abuse, suggests a 12-year University of Pittsburgh study. Moreover, the study’s findings call into question the long-held belief that has shaped prevention efforts and governmental policy for six decades and caused many a parent to panic upon discovering a bag of pot in their child’s bedroom.

The Pitt researchers tracked 214 boys beginning at ages 10-12, all of whom eventually used either legal or illegal drugs. When the boys reached age 22, they were categorized into three groups: those who used only alcohol or tobacco, those who started with alcohol and tobacco and then used marijuana (gateway sequence) and those who used marijuana prior to alcohol or tobacco (reverse sequence).

Nearly a quarter of the study population who used both legal and illegal drugs at some point – 28 boys – exhibited the reverse pattern of using marijuana prior to alcohol or tobacco, and those individuals were no more likely to develop a substance use disorder than those who followed the traditional succession of alcohol and tobacco before illegal drugs, according to the study, which appears in this month’s issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry. - University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

---

Has alcohol caused a society without reason? What makes you think that society would be any different? Makes me believe that you think everything would be out of control. Sadly for you, that wouldn’t be the case. Has that been the case in Amsterdam or in some areas of Canada?

 

[pHaze]

Usually yes, for a couple of reasons:

1. It is illegal, and it is a sin to break the just laws of the land. The New Testament tells us that we are to give respect and obedience to the laws and to those who make and enforce the laws.
2. Like drinking to the point of drunkenness, smoking mj is usually only for the purpose of getting wasted. The bible tells us that this is sinful.

Medical mj for a legitimate medical use, prescribed by a doctor, is a different matter and is not sinful.

So is God only with federal law? Because it’s illegal in ALL states according to federal law. That makes no sense to me.

 

[kentuckyliz]

I believe scientists should research the compounds that could be useful for medicinal purposes.

I have had enough dental work to be grateful for cocaine derivatives (like Novocaine), but that doesn’t mean I want cocaine to be legally sold in the streets for recreational use.

I have had enough surgeries to be grateful for morphine derivatives (anesthetics), but that doesn’t mean I want heroin sold in the streets for recreational use.

If you need pot for medicinal purposes, mention it to your oncologist and request a prescription for Marinol. And email me for eating tips during chemo. I’m a rock star at staying nourished through chemo and continue to coach others how to do so.

 

[tvdxer]

As far as I know, smoking marijuana, in and of itself, is not a sin, just as drinking alcohol is not. However, using marijuana to “get high” as somebody would use alcohol “to get drunk”, is a mortal sin. Likewise, smoking to the point where your body suffers damage or you become addicted is also sinful, a violation of the 5th commandment. Smoking marijuana also has the potential to be a sin of scandal.

Whether or not smoking marijuana is a sin or not because of human law, I do not know. The moral theology surrounding human law is much more complex than many of those here think it is.

 

[edwest2]

Although a small amount of marijuana is available for controlled medical purposes, it is illegal. In the late 1960s when smoking dope was made cool, I watched as friends just stoned their way out of life. The hippies criticized their parents for going to cocktail parties but they went to pot parties. Same thing? No. A check at the Centers for Disease Control will give you all the information you need.

Rock concerts no longer became just places to hear music. I watched as doped out individuals staggered up steps supported by their friends and smelled the marijuana. It is an abuse of the mind and body. And since it is illegal, it is only available from pushers who are more than happy to give you samples of the really ‘good’ stuff. It’s a sin. Medical use under a doctor’s care? No.

Peace,
Ed

 

[tvdxer]

Here is an interesting response concerning this matter from a priest at the old Catholic Online Ask Father site: web.archive.org/web/20030901110036/oldforum.catholic.org/discussion/messages/41/735844.html?1051968934

 

[Swan]

Trust me it is. Everyone that I knew from high school that smoked Marijuana have all moved on the harder drugs. Who ever told you it was not a gateway drug is a liar.

I beg to differ. I know lots and lots of folks who smoked pot for decades and never moved on to harder drugs (or any other drugs). And I’ve know a few who did hard drugs and never smoked pot. It’s like saying if you have a beer today, you’ll be up to a fifth of Jack Black by Friday.

 

[edwest2]

More information:

usdoj.gov/dea/concern/marijuana.html

Peace,
Ed

 

[jean8]

1). That would mean you can smoke it in some countries without sinning.

2). What exact phrase “in the bible” says that you can’t smoke it?

lol, If you know it’s a sin, it doesn’t matter what country your in.
It’s an unhealthy habit. I agree with drinking to excess,as the previous person mentioned. It isn’t good for you.

God bless you,
jean8

 

[Jack_245814]

The idea of smoking marijuana being a sin doesn’t make sense to me, though I do respect it. AFAIK it was a pronouncement of the Ordinary Magisterium, and is therefore not infallible, and therefore I am not required to have faith in it (though I do respect and keep it).

It is based on the idea that you can drink a little alcohol and be just “buzzed” without severe impairment, but that marijuana is different: any amount severely hampers your judgment.

I have been high literally thousands of times. I’m not bragging, it was wrong of me and disrespectful of my fellow citizens. But my experience with it shows me that it is, in fact, possible to be merely “buzzed” on marijuana and still be totally coherent. I have had very deep philosophical conversations with sober people while high, and been totally coherent: indeed, it made me more coherent because it relaxed me enough that I didn’t feel nervous about the way I phrased things, so it helped me be concise.

When I was just starting out, I would smoke myself into oblivion, much as those who are new to drinking will, in College, get extremely drunk. I grew out of this phase, and for many years I would simply smoke a little bit - the equivalent of two or three beers - on occasion (perhaps once a week). It didn’t interfere with my life in the slightest. I made mistakes, but not one of these was attributable to marijuana (in a few alcohol played a hand, though it was ultimately my fault of course, as I got drunk in the first place.)

The problem is that most marijuana users are already hedonistic (since they are by definition law-breakers), therefore they overindulge. This is not the rule for all users, just for the “obvious ones.” I’ve known good, hard-working, god-fearing adults who used marijuana on occasion in low amounts, and it had no ill effect on them. Honest. I’m not propagandizing, this is simply my life-experience.

The problem is that too many marijuana users are simply rebelling against society. They flaunt their usage, actively proselytize for it, and talk like morons because that’s part of conforming with their chosen Rebellious Subculture™.

However, I have come to realize that part of being a good Christian is obeying the law of the land (unless it compels you to sin). So I have stopped smoking the dried flowers of the Cannabis plant, and you should too. There are more important things in life, and while it might not hurt you, it doesn’t really help you either, so why risk getting thrown in jail? And why disrespect the pronouncements of the Pope - even if you don’t agree with him?

But the only reason to smoke Marijuana is to get high. What other reason could one possibly have?

Being “high” can mean anything from feeling mildly relaxed and a bit happy, to not being able to remember things you’ve said five seconds ago. Marijuana-use has not developed the same levels of “classifications of intoxication” that alcohol-use has. Also, marijuana has a very sweet and pleasant taste: I smoked it as much for that as the intoxication.

One beer will make you “drunk” in the sense that you’re under the influence, but that doesn’t mean you’re actually drunk, if you understand my meaning.

Also, the science against marijuana is shaky at best. Marijuana contains six times as much tar as tobacco, yes. But people who smoke cigarettes smoke around 20 a day; people who smoke marijuana rarely smoke even one joint a day (that would be considered excessive by most).

 

[Jack_245814]

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.

The catechism cannot be wrong; however, it does not define what a “drug” is. Therefore, I’m going to have to assume that they mean a substance that “inflicts very grave damage on human health and life.”

Moderate marijuana-smoking simply doesn’t fall into that category; excessive usage would, as would excessive alcohol usage or excessive tobacco usage.

 

[Claudius]

I am sorry to muddy the water, but even though California has a medical marijuana law, the federal government doesn’t recognize it and has raided some marijuana dispensaries.
drugpolicy.org/marijuana/medical/

Federal Government is responsible for Interstate Commerce and National Defense.

NOT Health and Hospitials.
NOT education
NOT roads
NOT who states may and may not recognize as Citizens
NOT to tell states who may and may not vote
NOT to tell states what language their populations have to use

 

[elts1956]

The catechism cannot be wrong; however, it does not define what a “drug” is. Therefore, I’m going to have to assume that they mean a substance that “inflicts very grave damage on human health and life.”

Moderate marijuana-smoking simply doesn’t fall into that category; excessive usage would, as would excessive alcohol usage or excessive tobacco usage.

Except that smoking one joint of mary jane is equal to five of a potent “ordinary” cigarette, so you would have to multiply by fives, not ones. What then, is excess?

 

[Jack_245814]

Except that smoking one joint of mary jane is equal to five of a potent “ordinary” cigarette, so you would have to multiply by fives, not ones. What then, is excess?

Five times the tar. So basically smoking one “joint” is about the same as smoking five cigarettes. When I smoked, I wouldn’t even smoke as much as one “joint”: more like a quarter of a joint or so (one filled, small pipe).

To inhale as much tar per/ day with pot as a regular cigarette smoker does with tobacco, you would have to smoke about four joints. That is an inordinate amount; smoking four joints a day would be comparable to drinking two twelve-packs a day, I’d say.

It does have similar effects on your lungs as tobacco in terms of coughing - though it does not cause an increased chance of lung cancer, interestingly enough (it kills aging lung cells so they’re less likely to turn cancerous, and this counter-acts the tar) - and in the case of extremely heavy smokers there’s a small chance of emphysema.

Still I never really had a problem with “smoker’s cough” or feeling short of breath or anything like that in all my years of smoking. Very low-quality marijuana will cause you to cough a lot while smoking, but that’s about it. In fact, one of the defining characteristics of being high is very deep breathing, as THC is a rather potent bronchodilator (they used to use it to treat asthma because of this, way back in the days when you’d give your kid opium for a tooth-ache)

I’m not saying people should smoke - really; it’s unchristian and should be avoided. I’m just saying I don’t think moderate use is a grave sin, like the Pope once said. It becomes a grave sin if you’re getting “stoned” or using it often - which many marijuana smokers do - but smoking small amounts is more of a venial sin in my book, just like small amounts of alcohol or the occasional cigarette.

Edit: I would add that if you’re smoking marijuana and you live with your parents, and they don’t want you to, then that would probably be a grave sin, since you’d be disrespecting your parents. However, my parents allowed me to smoke while I was a teenager as long as it didn’t interfere with my studies (it didn’t, I even skipped two grades in High School), and I only did it on occasion and not around them or anything.

 

[Guldenat]

Five times the tar. So basically smoking one “joint” is about the same as smoking five cigarettes. When I smoked, I wouldn’t even smoke as much as one “joint”: more like a quarter of a joint or so (one filled, small pipe).

To inhale as much tar per/ day with pot as a regular cigarette smoker does with tobacco, you would have to smoke about four joints. That is an inordinate amount; smoking four joints a day would be comparable to drinking two twelve-packs a day, I’d say.

It does have similar effects on your lungs as tobacco in terms of coughing - though it does not cause an increased chance of lung cancer, interestingly enough (it kills aging lung cells so they’re less likely to turn cancerous, and this counter-acts the tar) - and in the case of extremely heavy smokers there’s a small chance of emphysema.

Still I never really had a problem with “smoker’s cough” or feeling short of breath or anything like that in all my years of smoking. Very low-quality marijuana will cause you to cough a lot while smoking, but that’s about it. In fact, one of the defining characteristics of being high is very deep breathing, as THC is a rather potent bronchodilator (they used to use it to treat asthma because of this, way back in the days when you’d give your kid opium for a tooth-ache)

I’m not saying people should smoke - really; it’s unchristian and should be avoided. I’m just saying I don’t think moderate use is a grave sin, like the Pope once said. It becomes a grave sin if you’re getting “stoned” or using it often - which many marijuana smokers do - but smoking small amounts is more of a venial sin in my book, just like small amounts of alcohol or the occasional cigarette.

Edit: I would add that if you’re smoking marijuana and you live with your parents, and they don’t want you to, then that would probably be a grave sin, since you’d be disrespecting your parents. However, my parents allowed me to smoke while I was a teenager as long as it didn’t interfere with my studies (it didn’t, I even skipped two grades in High School), and I only did it on occasion and not around them or anything.

Pwned.