Occasional marijuana use?

[Thoughtfulone]

I have a priest who believes that the use of marijuana is a “serious sin” because 1.) It is harmful to the body 2.) It “damages” the mind and 3.) It is illegal

It does not seem as if he has ever smoked pot before.

I take issue with this because 1.) One can vaporize the marijuana and eliminate all or nearly all harmful effects (cigars, cigarettes, pipes and alcohol do far more damage, so this argument fails) 2.) It doesn’t “damage” the mind or cause one to lose their reason any more than moderate alcohol use, which is not sinful, so the argument fails there. 3.) It is illegal, but unjustly (IMO) and one can grow one’s own in minute amounts so as not to contribute to any real crime other than the growth and private use of a plant…if caught by the authorities, such a crime would be a misdemeanor and one would pay a fine (so this would be about as serious as deliberately exceeding the speed limit by a few MPH…certainly not grave matter)

Given all of this, I have a very hard time believing that this is truly a serious sin when done only occasionally and in moderation, much like having a few glasses of wine, without the hangover.

The priest told me this after my absolution at confession (during which I did confess to over-doing it sometimes in terms of alcohol and to occasional marijuana use) and honestly, i cannot say that I am resolved never to smoke marijuana again because I do not believe it to be a serious sin any more than a bit of alcohol is.

Frankly, I cannot say that I will never get a little tipsy again either. Keep in mind that I would not do any of these things to the point of losing my reason or self-control or committing a mortal sin as a result.

So my question is this: Is my confession still valid even though I am not firmly resolved never to smoke a bit or get a buzz on now and again?

Is smoking marijuana truly a mortal sin or is this just the opinion of one priest who has no expertise on the matter?

 

[thistle]

I have a priest who believes that the use of marijuana is a “serious sin” because 1.) It is harmful to the body 2.) It “damages” the mind and 3.) It is illegal

It does not seem as if he has ever smoked pot before.

I take issue with this because 1.) One can vaporize the marijuana and eliminate all or nearly all harmful effects (cigars, cigarettes, pipes and alcohol do far more damage, so this argument fails) 2.) It doesn’t “damage” the mind or cause one to lose their reason any more than moderate alcohol use, which is not sinful, so the argument fails there. 3.) It is illegal, but unjustly (IMO) and one can grow one’s own in minute amounts so as not to contribute to any real crime other than the growth and private use of a plant…if caught by the authorities, such a crime would be a misdemeanor and one would pay a fine (so this would be about as serious as deliberately exceeding the speed limit by a few MPH…certainly not grave matter)

Given all of this, I have a very hard time believing that this is truly a serious sin when done only occasionally and in moderation, much like having a few glasses of wine, without the hangover.

The priest told me this after my absolution at confession (during which I did confess to over-doing it sometimes in terms of alcohol and to occasional marijuana use) and honestly, i cannot say that I am resolved never to smoke marijuana again because I do not believe it to be a serious sin any more than a bit of alcohol is.

Frankly, I cannot say that I will never get a little tipsy again either. Keep in mind that I would not do any of these things to the point of losing my reason or self-control or committing a mortal sin as a result.

So my question is this: Is my confession still valid even though I am not firmly resolved never to smoke a bit or get a buzz on now and again?

Is smoking marijuana truly a mortal sin or is this just the opinion of one priest who has no expertise on the matter?

Totally wrong. It indeed DOES damage the mind.
There are thousands of studies which prove this. Its only the drug takers who deny it.

Here is one link on the basic FACTS!

acde.org/common/Marijana.htm

 

[Thoughtfulone]

Totally wrong. It indeed DOES damage the mind.
There are thousands of studies which prove this. Its only the drug takers who deny it.

Here is one link on the basic FACTS!

acde.org/common/Marijana.htm

All that article said was that with HEAVY marijuana users, there was a slight problem concentrating on language and math up to 24 hours after use. After HEAVY alcohol use, it takes easily that long for me to recover. We are talking about MODERATE and OCCASIONAL use here, not potheads.

It certainly does not damage the mind any more than alcohol and the Church has no problem with that in moderation.

 

[Monica4316]

yes it’s a sin because it’s a sin to get intoxicated with anything. Whether alcohol or drugs.

“do not be drunk on wine, but be filled with the Holy Spirit”

it also goes against the virtues of self control, etc.

 

[rebecca123]

It’s ok, but don’t get high.

 

[GEddie]

I have a priest who believes that the use of marijuana is a “serious sin” because 1.) It is harmful to the body 2.) It “damages” the mind and 3.) It is illegal

It does not seem as if he has ever smoked pot before.

Would you trust him more if he had used it? Or is it just that you feel, if he had used it, he would regard it favorably and tell you it was ok?

Don’t be so sure. I know a priest who admits to having been in the California drug scene while young, before repenting and entering Church formation; today he is one of the most vehement anti-druggers I know.

We only have a short time to use our minds to know GOD and to fill them for Heaven. There is absolutely no good reason to fuddle them (even if you think of this as “getting mellow”).

God Bless and ICXC NIKA.

 

[DavidJoseph]

Given all of this, I have a very hard time believing that this is truly a serious sin when done only occasionally and in moderation, much like having a few glasses of wine, without the hangover.

The priest told me this after my absolution at confession (during which I did confess to over-doing it sometimes in terms of alcohol and to occasional marijuana use) and honestly, i cannot say that I am resolved never to smoke marijuana again because I do not believe it to be a serious sin any more than a bit of alcohol is.

Frankly, I cannot say that I will never get a little tipsy again either. Keep in mind that I would not do any of these things to the point of losing my reason or self-control or committing a mortal sin as a result.

So my question is this: Is my confession still valid even though I am not firmly resolved never to smoke a bit or get a buzz on now and again?

Is smoking marijuana truly a mortal sin or is this just the opinion of one priest who has no expertise on the matter?

Is your confession still valid? Not sure. I mean, we all have to be resolved to at least TRY to avoid sin in the future after we go to confession. There’s a huge difference between fully intending to commit sin in the future and having the intention of trying but knowing realistically that you may very well give in to temptation in the future. Only you could truly answer those questions, but if I were you, I’d recommend reconfessing everything plus confessing to possibly making a bad confession.

You say you don’t think smoking marijuana is a mortal sin, but if your conscience were at peace about it, you wouldn’t be on here asking us about it.

 

[puzzleannie]

I have a priest who believes that the use of marijuana is a “serious sin” because 1.) It is harmful to the body 2.) It “damages” the mind and 3.) It is illegal

It does not seem as if he has ever smoked pot before.
?

maybe he grew up in the 60s and did not have to smoke it to learn about pot and its effects

yes it is wrong for all those reasons

no one is not absolved if one intends to keep commiting the sin and it might be a sacrilege as well to deliberately make a bad confession

that is what priests are for and what the sacrament of confession is for, you have had the benefit of both and don’t need to ask the question here

 

[GEddie]

If you believe pot use to be ok, why did you confess it in the first place?

Could there be a conflict between your conscience and your natural mind?

ICXC NIKA

 

[Thoughtfulone]

If you believe pot use to be ok, why did you confess it in the first place?

Could there be a conflict between your conscience and your natural mind?

ICXC NIKA

Actually, I merely brought it up because a couple of times, when I did it in conjunction with something else, I made poor decisions as a result, so I was really confessing the other things, if that makes any sense. I honestly don’t consider it a mortal sin to smoke very occasionally in moderation or to get a bit tipsy on alcohol now and again as long as one steers clear of overdoing it to the point of losing reason and committing other sins as well.

So in this sense, I feel that I made a valid confession. Because I don’t think these things in and of themselves are mortally sinful, I will most likely do them again at some point.

 

[puzzleannie]

Actually, I merely brought it up because a couple of times, when I did it in conjunction with something else, I made poor decisions as a result, so I was really confessing the other things, t.

it makes perfect sense and you have provided more ammunition for your priest’s view, and answered the question in regard not only to drugs but alcohol as well. If its use leads you to other sin . . . well, there is your answer. btw “poor decisions” that require confession are called “sins”.

 

[Thoughtfulone]

it makes perfect sense and you have provided more ammunition for your priest’s view, and answered the question in regard not only to drugs but alcohol as well. If its use leads you to other sin . . . well, there is your answer. btw “poor decisions” that require confession are called “sins”.

Well, technically, these decisions I am referring to were not serious sins in the eyes of the Church…I just confessed them because they were indeed alcohol-related, and so the real sin here would be over-doing it to that point. If one does any of these things in moderation, I really don’t see the problem as long as it is only occasional, which is why I stand by my confession. I can almost guarantee that there were people at Cana who were what we would consider “drunk” who committed no sin because they did not drink to the point where their reason was truly compromised.

 

[GEddie]

Actually, I merely brought it up because a couple of times, when I did it in conjunction with something else, I made poor decisions as a result, so I was really confessing the other things, if that makes any sense. I honestly don’t consider it a mortal sin to smoke very occasionally in moderation or to get a bit tipsy on alcohol now and again as long as one steers clear of overdoing it to the point of losing reason and committing other sins as well.

So in this sense, I feel that I made a valid confession. Because I don’t think these things in and of themselves are mortally sinful, I will most likely do them again at some point.

If pot use causes you to do things that are themselves sinful, then it is a “near occasion of sin,” and becomes a sin in itself for you, even if it were not otherwise sinful.

Likewise getting “tipsy” on alcohol. It affects your mind and will long before the muscular coordination.

ICXC NIKA

 

[Thoughtfulone]

If pot use causes you to do things that are themselves sinful, then it is a “near occasion of sin,” and becomes a sin in itself for you, even if it were not otherwise sinful.

Likewise getting “tipsy” on alcohol. It affects your mind and will long before the muscular coordination.

ICXC NIKA

I actually had a priest tell me that the things I am talking about doing when in an altered state were not sinful…I just personally think they were irresponsible.

 

[PatriceA]

Actually, I merely brought it up because a couple of times, when I did it in conjunction with something else, I made poor decisions as a result, so I was really confessing the other things, if that makes any sense. I honestly don’t consider it a mortal sin to smoke very occasionally in moderation or to get a bit tipsy on alcohol now and again as long as one steers clear of overdoing it to the point of losing reason and committing other sins as well.

So in this sense, I feel that I made a valid confession. Because I don’t think these things in and of themselves are mortally sinful, I will most likely do them again at some point.

Its not the thing you are partaking that is the sin, its the state of being intoxicated that is the sin. Doesn’t matter if one only drinks once a year, but if one does to the point that they are intoxicated, its a sin. Why do you smoke pot? To get a buzz. You don’t smoke pot to just get a couple of puffs, you smoke pot to get “high.” People can drink a glass of wine or have one alcoholic drink and stop. Pot smokers are not just going to take a couple of hits, and stop. Doesn’t matter how frequently or how infrequently you use a “drug” be it alcohol, pot or some other illegal drug, its that you are using that drug to get intoxicated. That is the sin.

 

[Thoughtfulone]

Its not the thing you are partaking that is the sin, its the state of being intoxicated that is the sin. Doesn’t matter if one only drinks once a year, but if one does to the point that they are intoxicated, its a sin. Why do you smoke pot? To get a buzz. You don’t smoke pot to just get a couple of puffs, you smoke pot to get “high.” People can drink a glass of wine or have one alcoholic drink and stop. Pot smokers are not just going to take a couple of hits, and stop. Doesn’t matter how frequently or how infrequently you use a “drug” be it alcohol, pot or some other illegal drug, its that you are using that drug to get intoxicated. That is the sin.

From Fr. John Hardon’s Modern Catholic Dictionary

drunkenness
Overindulgence in alcoholic beverages. On Catholic moral principles, the degree of sinfulness in excessive drinking depends on how this excess is known to affect this particular drinker. It is a grave matter if it is foreseen that this drink will cause on e to lose the use of one’s senses or will put one in such a state that he or she is no longer able to distinguish right from wrong. It is a venial matter if one has reason for believing that this amount of drinking, though actually excessive, will neither deprive one of the use of one’s senses or of the power to distinguish right from wrong.

I would think that the same would apply to marijuana, which is healthier and more natural.

 

[PatriceA]

From Fr. John Hardon’s Modern Catholic Dictionary

drunkenness
Overindulgence in alcoholic beverages. On Catholic moral principles, the degree of sinfulness in excessive drinking depends on how this excess is known to affect this particular drinker. It is a grave matter if it is foreseen that this drink will cause on e to lose the use of one’s senses or will put one in such a state that he or she is no longer able to distinguish right from wrong. It is a venial matter if one has reason for believing that this amount of drinking, though actually excessive, will neither deprive one of the use of one’s senses or of the power to distinguish right from wrong.

I would think that the same would apply to marijuana, which is healthier and more natural.

That is exactly my point. When you smoke pot, can you stop before you know you’ve reached a point that you are too high to drive a car? To function normally? To engage in your normal activity without being impared? I can have one glass of wine with dinner and know I have not crossed over the line into excessive drinking. Can you say the same when you smoke pot, no matter how infrequent you do?

The person that has multiple drinks is no different than the person that smokes pot to get high. Each are using a substance to be intoxicated or impaired, that is the sin.

 

[GEddie]

From Fr. John Hardon’s Modern Catholic Dictionary

drunkenness
Overindulgence in alcoholic beverages. On Catholic moral principles, the degree of sinfulness in excessive drinking depends on how this excess is known to affect this particular drinker. It is a grave matter if it is foreseen that this drink will cause on e to lose the use of one’s senses or will put one in such a state that he or she is no longer able to distinguish right from wrong. It is a venial matter if one has reason for believing that this amount of drinking, though actually excessive, will neither deprive one of the use of one’s senses or of the power to distinguish right from wrong.
**
I would think that the same would apply to marijuana, which is healthier and more natural.**

We do not in fact know that it is “healthier”. Its popularity in recent times among young people, who are for the most part extremely healthy, does not provide a scientific knoweldge base comparable to the literally millenniums of experience with alcohol.

Smoking anything at all is hideous to the body. And even though pot can be used in other ways, smoking is always the default method of use.

And “natural” doesn’t mean anything, as there are hundreds of substances, such as arsenic, mercury and upas sap, which are quite natural but have no place whatsoever in our human bodies.

Happy Holidays and ICXC NIKA.

 

[Thoughtfulone]

That is exactly my point. When you smoke pot, can you stop before you know you’ve reached a point that you are too high to drive a car? To function normally? To engage in your normal activity without being impared? I can have one glass of wine with dinner and know I have not crossed over the line into excessive drinking. Can you say the same when you smoke pot, no matter how infrequent you do?

The person that has multiple drinks is no different than the person that smokes pot to get high. Each are using a substance to be intoxicated or impaired, that is the sin.

But it says here the sin is merely venial unless you have reason to believe that you will not be able to distinguish right from wrong or lose your senses. I wouldn’t drive a car after 4 or 5 (or even 2 or 3) glasses of wine or a few hits of marijuana, but I certainly know the difference between right and wrong and have my wits about me.

I can’t imagine that thinking that I would probably partake in these things a bit at some point to this extent would cause my confession to be invalid?

 

[edwest2]

From Fr. John Hardon’s Modern Catholic Dictionary

drunkenness
Overindulgence in alcoholic beverages. On Catholic moral principles, the degree of sinfulness in excessive drinking depends on how this excess is known to affect this particular drinker. It is a grave matter if it is foreseen that this drink will cause on e to lose the use of one’s senses or will put one in such a state that he or she is no longer able to distinguish right from wrong. It is a venial matter if one has reason for believing that this amount of drinking, though actually excessive, will neither deprive one of the use of one’s senses or of the power to distinguish right from wrong.

I would think that the same would apply to marijuana, which is healthier and more natural.

“healthier and more natural” according to who? This sounds like you’re looking for people to agree with you here.

Here are some words from the Pontifical Council for the Family:

ewtn.com/library/CURIA/PCFDRUGS.HTM

Take them to heart.

Peace,
Ed