Marijuana = Sinfull?

[John_Russell_Jr]

Can you explain what you mean by “bomb you out”. Also, alcohol is a suppressant in any amount. So I don’t understand the use of the term “gladden the heart”. I know it makes me happy sometimes to have a beer with friends but it can also sooth the pains of a hard days labor on the mind and body as well.

Marijuana bombs out the mind. It’s designed to help one escape reality. In this state one is also most vulnerable to sin. Most dealers lace the drug with other drugs like speed to give the user a bigger hit and get them more addicted. To escape from reality for fun offends God.
A few drinks is for relaxation and very biblical to do so.
From the CCC
Marijuana is a drug…

**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. Clandestine production of and trafficking in drugs are scandalous practices. They constitute direct co-operation in evil, since they encourage people to practices gravely contrary to the moral law.

 

[Joey1976]

My best friend when I was younger was dead set against any intoxicant, in September 2003 he had a drink, he liked drinking. Later that month while drunk, he tried smoking tobacco, and enjoyed it, became addicted to tobacco. By October he was hooked on weed, skunk etc. By the end of January he had stopped talking to me, told me never to speak to him again. By february he had tried cocaine and if rumours were true, by March, heroin.

As you show here in your post, Alcohol is the real gateway drug and yet it is legal and alcohol is allowed in moderation.

Reasons such as being a gateway drug for marijuana and the intoxicant effects and so forth are really not good arguments against why marijuana is a sin and did not work for me.

The reason that was explained to me and made sense and hit home to me was the fact that the Church states we must obey civil law unless it is contrary to God’s law. For example, abortion is legal but we must not obey it because it is contrary to God’s law for obvious reasons. Marijuana is illegal under civil law and that doesn’ contradict God’s law. There is nowhere that God teaches us that we are to be able to smoke anything we want. So, it doesn’t go against God’s law so we must obey it, even if we think the law is unjust. I do believe that marijuana being illegal is unjust considering alcohol and tobacco are legal and allowed by the Church in moderation. However, being that marijuana is illegal i must obey the civil law because it doesn’t go against God’s law. If one day marijuana becomes legal then the Church would have to make a stance on whether it would be allowed in moderation. But now we must obey civil law and it is illegal thus making it a sin.

 

[harrisunt]

 

[Scanner]

I won’t preach the legal/relgious aspects of marijuana but I know of what you speak - the people doing marijuana are generally peaceful and well-meaning,

What I have seen from use of the drug is that it seems to rob them of all ambition - thus the coined term “Pothead.” These people live from paycheck to paycheck, discretionary money going for pot. Movies in the 80’s even glorified the Pothead, making him be the “cool person” that everyone wants to be - always with a witty retort and “anti-establishment.”

(I can’t remember what movie but the kid said, “Dude!” and had curly blonde hair - everybody wanted to be him)

Users think they are being “deep” and “reflective” and “creative” when really they are just stoned.

Not to mention, that drugs are a top source of funding for terrorist organizations. I believe marijuana is Afghanistan’s #1 export/cash crop.

I know it probably bums you out, but you are funding the Taliban and Al Quaida as some poor sap in the army has to defend some God foresaken land because you and your friends want to get high.

I don’t know what to say other than that. I tried it 4x and I didn’t experience anything “cosmic” - it just made me confused. My friends insisted that I had to keep doing it to get the effect but I declined chalking the whole experience/culture as a bit retarded.

I’ll admit - at times, I don’t feel close to God either but I don’t think smoking a weed is the answer.

 

[catechumen08]

Hi Faith8472, I can’t quote Bible verses that either support or refute what you’re doing, so I’ll leave that to others who are more knowledgeable, but I do know that marijuana can be detrimental to your health. Aside from its addictive properties, it can also cause lung cancer, as a recent study showed. If I remember correctly, one joint is equivalent to 20 cigarettes in terms of cancer-causing agents.

I think that while the experience seems to bring you closer to God, perhaps you could find another medium that will also draw you closer to Him.

 

[LDNCatholic]

As you show here in your post, Alcohol is the real gateway drug and yet it is legal and alcohol is allowed in moderation.

They weren’t drunk when they tried cocaine. I am not debating here. I am simply saying it is wrong, it is bad and it is dangerous.

That was one example, do you care to explain where the rest of my friends went wrong? They weren’t necissarilly drinking befor they tried marijuana. Once again. It is wrong and whether or not it turns everyone into drug fiends, my former closest friends and several members of my family are living proof that it is part of the process.

 

[mschrank]

I have never smoked Marijuana or indulged in any other illegal mind-altering substance as defined by US Law. So, this is pure theory I am talking about here. Not from personal experience.

The problem with pot is that it is really a false spiritual reality, a “counterfeit infinity” as one person called it. In the short term, it might open up some new perspectives and increase your ‘spirituality’. However, spirituality in itself is neither good nor bad, it’s just part of who we are.

This stuff will not bring you closer to God, although it might increase your spirituality. There are ways of experiencing mystic, genuine Christian spirituality but it will be on God’s time and in the way God chooses.

So spiritually it is not good. Secondly, it does have psychological side effects in some people.

If you want more info pm me, I will inform you out of what I have read on the subject.

 

[mangy_dog]

My name is Jason and I live in Ohio. My parents are not very religious, and I do not have any siblings. I live in a small town, and there are not many Catholics there. There is one Youth Group, but after attending several meetings I failed to become friends with any of the other kids my own age. As a result, I tend to hang out with my non-religious friends. They are good people still, and rarely do I feel my spirituality becomes an issue when I am with them. Lately, however, I have begun to wonder.

One of my friends began to smoke marijuana, and soon, most of them were. I also said no when they offered me some, and they let it rest respecting my beliefs. I always had a good time when they smoked, anyway. They were always so happy and always laughed when they were high and we all had a good time.

Let me point out that while none of them are very religious, they are still good people. They may smoke pot every so often, but they commit no other crimes. As odd as it sounds they are all on the Honor Roll at school, too, and are considered upstanding young men and women by everyone. I take pride to be in their company.

About two months ago, I let my curiosity get the best of me, and I smoked some with them. I had an amazing time. They knew it was my first time getting high, so they wanted to show me a good time. We went out into the woods and smoked, then took a hike. It was an incredible experience. It was if I was seeing the world from a completely different perspective, and I noticed details in nature that I had never noticed before. I had been to those woods many times, but it was like I was seeing it all again for the first time. I felt a connection to the world, and as a result I began to feel closer to God.

I now smoke quite a bit, and I feel that it has made me grow closer to the world around me and to God as well. I go on about my life as normal, and the smoking has never gotten me into trouble or even made me late for an appointment.

My friends sometimes ask me why I do drugs if I’m a Catholic, and I say that marijuana is from the ground, and natural. God had a reason to put it on this Earth.

I just wonder what the Bible might think of this subject.

Dear Jason,

There is a lot of good advice on these threads and a lot of good reasons to stop your use of marijuana.
Marijuana, like other mind altering drugs is considered in some cultures to be a means for openning “portals” in the mind and in the spirit of the person using it. This is not a good thing. Lucifer takes advantage of these drug induced “illuminations” of the mind to introduce his own brand of “goodness” and “harmony” or “oneness with nature”. It may be no coincidence that your story seems to be a modern re-telling of the story of the fall. Adam and Eve’s eyes were “openned” upon eating the “pleasant looking” “appealing” apple!
I pray that you will stay away from this practice surely for legal reasons, but also for spiritual reasons.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

 

[Joey1976]

They weren’t drunk when they tried cocaine.

You said it is bad and dangerous, that is not really a good reason to be against it because so is alcohol and cigarettes, yet those are ok.

They did not have to be drunk when they tried cocaine. That is not what makes a drug a gateway drug. Alcohol is usually the first intoxicant people use in life, then marijuana, and so on. However, not all people that try alcohol use weed. And not all people that use weed go on to harder drugs. My point is people always forget about the most widely used intoxicant which is alcohol. They say marijuana is a gateway drug but no mention of alcohol. If someone is going to say marijuana is a gateway drug to harder drugs then you would have to say alcohol is the gateway drug to marijuana. It all starts with alcohol.
Regardless of the fact of whether marijuana is bad or if it is or isn’t a gateway drug doesn’t matter. You will find studies for marijuana use and against it. The fact is it is illegal thus we must obey the Church and not use it because it is a sin.

I am not debating either but i just think the whole argument of how bad it is is not a good argument because alcohol and cigarrettes are bad too. i think we need to attack the reasons against marijuana on the grounds that the Church tells us it is a sin and we must obey and follow civil law.

 

[Joey1976]

Check this quote out

"The “gateway drug theory” describes the phenomenon in which an introduction to drug-using behavior through the use of tobacco, alcohol, or marijuana is related to subsequent use of other illicit drugs. The theory suggests that, all other things being equal, an adolescent who uses any one drug is more likely to use another drug. In practice, early introduction to substance use for adolescents is often through tobacco and/or alcohol. These two drugs are considered the first “gate” for most adolescents. Under this hypothesis, tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana are all considered “gateway drugs,” preceding the use of one another and of illicit drugs.

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) provides the following illustrations:

• Among 12-to 17-year-olds with no other problem behaviors, those who drank alcohol and smoked cigarettes at least once in the past month are 30 times likelier to smoke marijuana than those who didn’t. These correlations are more pronounced for girls than boys: for girls, 36 times likelier; for boys, 27 times likelier."
  So there is my point that marijuana is not the gateway drug. Alcohol is the real gateway drug. And alcohol is legal and allowed in moderation by the Church and it is the primary gateway drug along with cigarettes. So the whole gateway drug argument as to why the Church declares it a sin is irrelevant.
  We only reason the Church states marijuana use is a sin is because it is illegal. The Church states that we must obey civil law unless it is contrary to God’s law. The fact that marijuana is illegal does not go against God’s law so we MUST obey civil law. That is why it is a sin. If and when marijuana becomes legal then the Church will have to come up with a stance on Marijuana as to if it will be allowed in moderation as is alcohol. Until then it is a sin because it is illegal. Whether it is more harmful or less harmful than alcohol is irrelevant unless it becomes legal then people will have an argument to whether it should be allowed in moderation as alcohol.

 

[LDNCatholic]

i just think the whole argument of how bad it is is not a good argument because alcohol and cigarrettes are bad too.

The Bible does say it is OK to drink wine. it ‘‘gladdens the heart’’ and we are allowed to drink in moderation. Christ Himself changed water into wine.

Nowhere in the Bible can I find quotes saying to ‘‘light up for the gladness of thine heart’’ or the story where Jesus turns straw into weed for the stoner party at Cana.

God Bless

Peter

 

[harrisunt]

Wouldn’t looking for the Bible as a means to understand everything that we are allowed to do in our live be subscribing to a form of Sola Scriptura? Using that line of thought, wine would be the only alcohol allowed and cigarettes would surely be banned by the CC.

He turned the water into wine because it was safer to drink fermented beverages than just drink the water from the ground because it was not always safe.

 

[mangy_dog]

Wouldn’t looking for the Bible as a means to understand everything that we are allowed to do in our live be subscribing to a form of Sola Scriptura? Using that line of thought, wine would be the only alcohol allowed and cigarettes would surely be banned by the CC.

He turned the water into wine because it was safer to drink fermented beverages than just drink the water from the ground because it was not always safe.

Marijuana: Bad - no good- illegal - soul hurt bad!!

 

[harrisunt]

Marijuana: Bad - no good- illegal - soul hurt bad!!

The soul hurts because it is illegal under civil law, not because it is bad. I don’t think your soul hurts when you have a beer or cigarette because those two substances are not banned (rather they are heavily taxed) under civil law.

But thanks for being concise with your post. So easy… a caveman can read it.

 

[mangy_dog]

The soul hurts because it is illegal under civil law, not because it is bad. I don’t think your soul hurts when you have a beer or cigarette because those two substances are not banned (rather they are heavily taxed) under civil law.

But thanks for being concise with your post. So easy… a caveman can read it.

Mind altering. Psychological heightened awareness. Alcohol mind numbing. Two different effects. Alcohol excess - bad - mind numbing. Marijuana - mind altering - bad even in moderation. Lucifer lurking in the dark corner of the altered mind.
Ooga - booga.

 

[LDNCatholic]

Wouldn’t looking for the Bible as a means to understand everything that we are allowed to do in our live be subscribing to a form of Sola Scriptura? Using that line of thought, wine would be the only alcohol allowed and cigarettes would surely be banned by the CC.

He turned the water into wine because it was safer to drink fermented beverages than just drink the water from the ground because it was not always safe.

Surely it is safer to refer to the Bible than not to? I do not believe in Sola Scriptura, however neither do I believe we should ignore it completely.

And about the water to wine. Jesus, as God could have merely purified the water, as it is well within His power to do so. Why did He turn it into wine? Methinks it had less to do with hygene and more to do with the fact that they were at a wedding celebration.

EDIT: Having just checked, at the wedding feast they had run out of wine. Jesus actually made more for them. Doesn’t say anywhere that He warned them not to drink it.

 

[harrisunt]

Surely you don’t believe I am telling your to ignore the Bible. That would be naive. However, I think it is even more naive to say that something that is not mentioned in the Bible is to be removed from our modern lives.

I also disagree with previous comments saying that there is a difference in “mind numbing” and “mind altering”. You can get into a battle of semantics between alcohol and marijuana but they have the same intrinsic values to our bodies. To release us from the struggles of our lives and to lighten our mood. They are both depressant drugs (unless you ‘lace’ marijuana with something).

 

[Joey1976]

Surely you don’t believe I am telling your to ignore the Bible. That would be naive. However, I think it is even more naive to say that something that is not mentioned in the Bible is to be removed from our modern lives.

I also disagree with previous comments saying that there is a difference in “mind numbing” and “mind altering”. You can get into a battle of semantics between alcohol and marijuana but they have the same intrinsic values to our bodies. To release us from the struggles of our lives and to lighten our mood. They are both depressant drugs (unless you ‘lace’ marijuana with something).

I agree with you again. The “how bad it is” argument or the “it is not that bad for you” argument for or against the use of marijuana are not why it is forbidden by the Church. Obedience of civil law is the reason why marijuana consumption is a sin.

 

[mangy_dog]

Surely you don’t believe I am telling your to ignore the Bible. That would be naive. However, I think it is even more naive to say that something that is not mentioned in the Bible is to be removed from our modern lives.

I also disagree with previous comments saying that there is a difference in “mind numbing” and “mind altering”. You can get into a battle of semantics between alcohol and marijuana but they have the same intrinsic values to our bodies. To release us from the struggles of our lives and to lighten our mood. They are both depressant drugs (unless you ‘lace’ marijuana with something).

And its a “battle of semantics” that I don’t care to get into. To the recreational marijuana user, there is no logic that’s going to convince 'em that marijuana use - moderate or heavy - is detrimental to the mental and emotional health of the person. You may want to lump it together with the effects of alcohol but to an ex-user, who knows the effects of both and the true difference between both - there is no amount of “semantics” that will shine an innocent light on marijuana’s effects on the human psyche.
If you’re smoking marijuana and you don’t want to quit - that’s one thing. But please don’t try to justify with “semantics” the “benign goodness” of an illegal, mind altering drug that you burn to in-hale into your lungs.

 

[Joey1976]

I’m an ex-recreational user also for a few years in college. And no one will ever be able to convince me that marijuana is worse than alcohol.

The reason i will never use again, is because I believe in the Church’s teachings and the Church states we must obey civil law unless it contradicts God’s law. The civil law in this case must be obeyed because civil law has made marijuana illegal and that doesn’t contradict God’s Law. I know I sound like a broken record but as a person who used marijuana and alcohol. i will never be convinced that marijuana is this terribly harmful substance as some make it out to be compared to alcohol which is also an addictive intoxicant.
I would just advise people to obey and trust the Church on these types of matters.