Occasional marijuana use?

[Cecilianus]

Well { 5.} Did mention alcohol and tobacco also Prescribed drugs. The distinction is irrelevant between hard drugs and soft drugs. Its not the product that causes the Addiction. Its the Mind. Its a Psychological Addiction.

I used to use cannabis myself for over 10 years. I used at a very moderate level mostly just to go to sleep on. I had the odd Joint during the day when not working without putting to much in.
But i disagreed with skunk!! Just One Joint and i felt my whole day was ruined.

I did find cannabis hard to stop when i wanted. Because i could not sleep. Also because i enjoyed being Just relaxed and slightly stoned in another level of consciousness. I found food tasted better and got the munchies a bit. Tea and coffee seemed to taste better as-well.
I did stop in the end because of financial reasons and because when i used during the day i felt lazy, to tired to do things, and it was effecting my short term memory until it wore off.
When i did stop i could not sleep for 2 days then not properly for about 2 weeks. Once i got past that. I decided not to use Again. Really if you want to stop useing you have to have Psychological reasons to stop. To Overcome the Psychological Addiction to use.

Whether it is Sin or not i believe depends on how much you are useing. Cannabis does come under herbs and herbs is mentioned in the bible that you can use.

Alcohol can also enhance one’s taste buds - as I’m sure everyone has noticed who has tried combining cheese and wine.

 

[shaky]

No. The Precious Body and the Precious Blood were once administered separately; the Precious Blood is now immersed in the Blood and administered with a spoon so that the Manichaean heretics who refused to partake of the Blood (regarded any kind of alcohol consumption as being evil) would have to give up their heresy if they wanted to receive Holy Communion.

Obviously, a recovering alcoholic who does not drink because of the temptation it would provide him (and who would obviously not be affected by the tiny amount of wine received sacramentally) should continue in his abstinence; nobody is ever given enough alcohol in Communion for that to be a problem.

I thought when you said teetotallers. It was a person drinking cups of Tea who where excommunicated. Because sometimes there is a saying when a person does not drink. No i don’t drink i am a teetotaller. I thought you was referring drinking tea was a Sin.

 

[Thoughtfulone]

You are trying to find a reason, you can’t even see it. Try a different priest. But if a different priest tells you the same, what then? Keep searching until you find a priest that tells you exactly what you want to hear?

This priest said something that struck a nerve with you. Deep down I bet you think there is something to some of what he said concerning smoking pot and drinking. You’re just looking for people to tell you it will be ok.

If the priest had told me that eating cake was a mortal sin, I would be just as concerned. Unlike some people, I tend to use my God-given sense and I don’t just blindly accept everything I’m told. When scientific research and personal experience contradict something I am told (yes, even by a priest), I am going to question it and form my own conclusion. That does not mean that I do not take the priest’s guidance into account, hence, the reason for this thread. It’s called thinking.

 

[LCMS_No_More]

Well { 5.} Did mention alcohol and tobacco also Prescribed drugs. The distinction is irrelevant between hard drugs and soft drugs. Its not the product that causes the Addiction. Its the Mind. Its a Psychological Addiction.

I used to use cannabis myself for over 10 years. I used at a very moderate level mostly just to go to sleep on. I had the odd Joint during the day when not working without putting to much in.
But i disagreed with skunk!! Just One Joint and i felt my whole day was ruined.

Sounds like you were smoking indica strains. Indica strains make you sleepy, relazed and give you that “stoned” feeling. So, tt’s true that if you smoke an indica in the daytime, it will make you lazy and stoned (which is why one shouldn’t do that!). On the other hand, if you smoke a sativa in the daytime, it will keep you awake and make you feel “high” but still able to think and function.

This distinction is something a lot of people don’t understand.

I did find cannabis hard to stop when i wanted. Because i could not sleep. Also because i enjoyed being Just relaxed and slightly stoned in another level of consciousness. I found food tasted better and got the munchies a bit. Tea and coffee seemed to taste better as-well.
I did stop in the end because of financial reasons and because when i used during the day i felt lazy, to tired to do things, and it was effecting my short term memory until it wore off.
When i did stop i could not sleep for 2 days then not properly for about 2 weeks. Once i got past that. I decided not to use Again. Really if you want to stop useing you have to have Psychological reasons to stop. To Overcome the Psychological Addiction to use.

Whether it is Sin or not i believe depends on how much you are useing. Cannabis does come under herbs and herbs is mentioned in the bible that you can use.

I stopped smoking tobacco because of its cost. I still smoke weed, with a doctor’s recommendation,and an eighth can last more than a week, which is still cheaper than tobacco.

 

[Altruist]

It’s not considered harmful because it ISN’T. I’ve never had my judgment impaired by alcohol to the point where I ever did or said anything I wouldn’t have when I was completely dry, and I like a good drink every now and then. It is also a fact that today’s alcohol is far LESS potent than it was in Our Savior’s day; that’s why they watered down wine before drinking it back then. And I don’t think that people were only sipping the exquisitely delicious wine Our Savior miraculously created at Cana; they would have been drinking freely as people do at wedding parties. I also do not think that Our Savior considered that wine - “however little” it may have been regarding potency or volume (only six huge pots full of wine that you had to water down to make it even DRINKABLE!) - to be harmful, so why do you?

You are being really quite judgmental here, and it is you who need to (a) led God judge someone’s heart, and (b) get down of your pedestal. Just as not everybody who drinks is an alcoholic and not everybody who eats is a glutton, not everybody who consumes anything is addicted to it, and this kind of pharisaism is really a much bigger spiritual problem than an occasional joint.

Just because someone denies having a problem doesn’t mean they actually do have it. They could be denying having a problem because they really don’t have one. You can’t be screwed either way, no matter whether you say you have a problem or that you don’t.

Lend me your merciful ear, I only sought to get across to perhaps get some sense in this man’s head. Marijuana use is sinful, and that is the bottom line. So, please, can we come to some sensical common ground allowed by the God of Mercy?

 

[Altruist]

I do appreciate the prayers, but there is nothing intrinsically sinful about marijuana use, and responsible use in moderation is certainly not mortally sinful. All I said in my confession was that I have made poor decisions due to drinking and marijuana use (only when drinking heavily and smoking pot did I do these things, and these things that I did were not mortally sinful in and of themselves, just irresponsible).

My main concern was that almost everybody drinks too much at some point. For me to say that I’ll never do it again is unrealistic, so I have a problem with the RESOLVE aspect of the confession, I guess. I have never committed a mortal sin as a result of drinking or smoking marijuana or anything else, and I definitely ALWAYS know the difference between right and wrong.

I also do not believe that getting a little drunk or smoking a little pot is a mortal sin. Keep in mind that I tend to confess certain venial sins as well, so if I feel I’ve been over-doing it, I will mention it to the priest.

So I am supposed to resolve not to commit any more mortal sins, but I guess my question is this: If some members of the Church look at something as a mortal sin (such as pot smoking or getting a bit drunk) and I know that they teach this (or think I know it) but do not myself believe it and so have no firm resolve to never do it again, then does THAT invalidate my confession even though my belief that these things aren’t mortally sinful do not go against Church dogma?

Very nice, I also got to thinking in that direction.

The fact that you believe it not to be mortally sinful would save you from sinning. However, the fact that you know that the Church teaches that use of marijuana is wrong, particularly that the priest seemed to confirm this, does not keep you free of sin.

 

[Altruist]

I said it before, and I’ll say it again. You need to either go back to the priest that heard your confession and gave you the advice that you take with issue with as you described it in your OP and ask for more guidance. OR find a different priest to talk to. But either way, you must listen to the guidance THEY give you, not the opinions found on a forum. You will always find opinions both for and against an issue that is troubling you, but you need the guidance of a good spiritual director. Its not even the issue of smoking pot that should be the debate, its that you are trying to find a reason not to listen to the priest. Either you are not ready to change, or you out and out don’t have any faith in what the priest said, either way you’re looking for a loophole to disregard what he said. That is the most troubling of your situation.

Those are the words of a faithfully wise woman.

Find your answer from a priest. Talk to a priest. Priests are ordained men of God; their lives revolve around serving God and His people. There is no better advice than can be gained from a priest.

 

[Altruist]

davidv: What about sugar, caffeine, and alcohol, which are all drugs? Something tells me that the paragraph 2291 of the Catechism doesn’t forbid a cup of coffee (I hope not!) or a bar of chocolate (I really hope not!) or a glass of wine (teetotallers are excommunicated in the Eastern Catholic churches - that’s why we immerse the Precious Body in the Precious Blood and give both, to confute the Manichaean heresy), and all of these are drugs which can be abused, like cannabis. Quoting the Catechism in this context doesn’t tell us anything except the principle we all agree on - that drugs should not be abused, and that something meant for strictly therapeutic purposes (which is not coterminous with the set of all drugs - alcohol, caffeine, and cannabis might have either therapeutic or non-therapeutic uses or both) should only be used for therapeutic purposes.

We are not discussing use of the drug for therapeutic purposes. Thoughtfulone is using this drug occasionally for recreational purposes. Therefore, the Catechism is rightfully used here. Please, do not tell me that the Catechism is impertinent. Is the Catechism of the Catholic Church not the dictating text for Catholic life?

 

[PatriceA]

If the priest had told me that eating cake was a mortal sin, I would be just as concerned. Unlike some people, I tend to use my God-given sense and I don’t just blindly accept everything I’m told. When scientific research and personal experience contradict something I am told (yes, even by a priest), I am going to question it and form my own conclusion. That does not mean that I do not take the priest’s guidance into account, hence, the reason for this thread. It’s called thinking.

Consider that eating too much cake just might be a sin for some people…you are still trying to twist the words of the priest or invalidate what he said. No where in any of your posts have you even hinted that you have taken what the priest said to have truth to it. You have looked for a loophole to disregard what he said. Again, if you want people to give you backup to disregard what the priest told you in your confession, give just as much weight to what others have said in the post about the dangers of smoking pot, even occasionally, and give more thought to that the priest could be entirely correct in what he told you.

If you are constantly going to “think” about what a priest advises you in your confession, you need to find a spiritual director that you trust more than the priest you are currently seeking counsel from.

 

[davidv]

I disagree that the WHOLE Church feels that the use of marijuana is a mortal sin. The CCC says “drugs”, but what is a drug? Alcohol, tobacco and caffeine are all drugs, medically speaking, but they are all o.k. in moderation. Marijuana is scientifically proven to be less harmful than alcohol and cigarettes (especially when vaporized). The ONLY sinfulness that I can see with marijuana is the fact that it is illegal, as is speeding, running a red light, etc., none of which are mortal sins. So what makes the responsible, MODERATE use of marijuana a mortal sin? NOTHING.

Where did I say that using marijuana was a mortal sin? Where does the Church define what is a drug? Does marijuana fit this definition?

Whether it is mortal or not is irrelevant as unrepentant venial sins can lead to mortal sin.

 

[Cecilianus]

I thought when you said teetotallers. It was a person drinking cups of Tea who where excommunicated. Because sometimes there is a saying when a person does not drink. No i don’t drink i am a teetotaller. I thought you was referring drinking tea was a Sin.

No. There isn’t any obligation to drink alcohol and more than any other food or drink; one simply cannot regard doing so as being evil, because God created the world and pronounced it good. “God created wine to gladden the hearts of man”, as the good Psalm says.

 

[Thoughtfulone]

Consider that eating too much cake just might be a sin for some people…you are still trying to twist the words of the priest or invalidate what he said. No where in any of your posts have you even hinted that you have taken what the priest said to have truth to it. You have looked for a loophole to disregard what he said. Again, if you want people to give you backup to disregard what the priest told you in your confession, give just as much weight to what others have said in the post about the dangers of smoking pot, even occasionally, and give more thought to that the priest could be entirely correct in what he told you.

If you are constantly going to “think” about what a priest advises you in your confession, you need to find a spiritual director that you trust more than the priest you are currently seeking counsel from.

I’m not trying to twist his words. I think he is flat-out wrong. He is a human after all. And I’m not looking for a loophole. I have thought about what he said, considered it carefully in light of the facts and determined him to be mistaken. End of story. My concern now is for the validity of my confession in light of the fact that I had not yet determined for myself whether or not marijuana use was seriously sinful but had also not firmly resolved to never do it again at that point.

 

[PatriceA]

I’m not trying to twist his words. I think he is flat-out wrong. He is a human after all. And I’m not looking for a loophole. I have thought about what he said, considered it carefully in light of the facts and determined him to be mistaken. End of story. My concern now is for the validity of my confession in light of the fact that I had not yet determined for myself whether or not marijuana use was seriously sinful but had also not firmly resolved to never do it again at that point.

Find a different priest to talk over the matter, tell him exactly what you have posted.

I for one cannot fathom coming from the confessional and telling myself the priest was flat out wrong about something I confessed, unless the priest in question had been wrong in other areas of the faith, such as liturgical abuses and other facets of him ministering to his parishoners. The bigger issue for me at least would be that I can’t believe what the priest says in the confessional, not whether other people on the internet might think that a particular habit is a sin or not.

 

[Thoughtfulone]

Find a different priest to talk over the matter, tell him exactly what you have posted.

I for one cannot fathom coming from the confessional and telling myself the priest was flat out wrong about something I confessed, unless the priest in question had been wrong in other areas of the faith, such as liturgical abuses and other facets of him ministering to his parishoners. The bigger issue for me at least would be that I can’t believe what the priest says in the confessional, not whether other people on the internet might think that a particular habit is a sin or not.

Yes, because priests are never wrong about anything…He told me WHY he thought it was a mortal sin (which I stated before) and his reasoning was flat-out uninformed and unsound, ergo, I completely disagree with him. Had he said “It’s a mortal sin because it says so in the Bible”, or “It’s a mortal sin because it has been infallibly taught by the magesterium”, that would have been a different story, but he didn’t. He said it because it is harmful to the body (not true when vaporized), harmful to the mind (it kills no more brain cells than alcohol, of which the Church approves) and it is illegal (a Class B Misdemeanor where I live, which results in a simple fine. Stealing a pack of gum is a class B misdemeanor and is NOT considered a grave sin even though it actually violates the decalogue!)

As you can see, his argument fails on every level and so I do not believe occasional, responsible marijuana use to be a grave sin, period.

 

[PatriceA]

Yes, because priests are never wrong about anything…He told me WHY he thought it was a mortal sin (which I stated before) and his reasoning was flat-out uninformed and unsound, ergo, I completely disagree with him. Had he said “It’s a mortal sin because it says so in the Bible”, or “It’s a mortal sin because it has been infallibly taught by the magesterium”, that would have been a different story, but he didn’t. He said it because it is harmful to the body (not true when vaporized), harmful to the mind (it kills no more brain cells than alcohol, of which the Church approves) and it is illegal (a Class B Misdemeanor where I live, which results in a simple fine. Stealing a pack of gum is a class B misdemeanor and is NOT considered a grave sin even though it actually violates the decalogue!)

As you can see, his argument fails on every level and so I do not believe occasional, responsible marijuana use to be a grave sin, period.

And that’s the part I disagree with you, because I do think the priest is correct.

 

[BlueShadow123]

No matter where you live its against the law, at least against federal law and they override state law. Well it wasn’t illegal in the time of Jesus.

You do realize there are other countries in the world other than America?

That is why I said don’t use it if its againts the law where you live. I have no idea where this person lives.

 

[rev_kevin]

You do realize there are other countries in the world other than America?

That is why I said don’t use it if its againts the law where you live. I have no idea where this person lives.

There are Ok my bad :imsorry:

 

[Thoughtfulone]

Yes, because priests are never wrong about anything…He told me WHY he thought it was a mortal sin (which I stated before) and his reasoning was flat-out uninformed and unsound, ergo, I completely disagree with him. Had he said “It’s a mortal sin because it says so in the Bible”, or “It’s a mortal sin because it has been infallibly taught by the magesterium”, that would have been a different story, but he didn’t. He said it because it is harmful to the body (not true when vaporized), harmful to the mind (it kills no more brain cells than alcohol, of which the Church approves) and it is illegal (a Class B Misdemeanor where I live, which results in a simple fine. Stealing a pack of gum is a class B misdemeanor and is NOT considered a grave sin even though it actually violates the decalogue!)

As you can see, his argument fails on every level and so I do not believe occasional, responsible marijuana use to be a grave sin, period.

Actually, I was wrong about marijuana not killing any more brain cells than alcohol. Here is some info:

"Killing brain cells is not a pre-requisite for getting high.' Marijuana contains a chemical which substitutes for a natural brain chemical, with a few differences. This chemical touches special buttons’ on brain cells called receptors.' Essentially, marijuana tickles’ brain cells.

The legal drug alcohol also tickles brain cells, but it will damage and kill them by producing toxins (poisons) and sometimes mini-seizures. Also, some drugs will wear out the buttons which they push, but marijuana does not.

Scientific studies have proven that marijuana can actually protect brain cells. erowid.org/plants/cannabis/references/journal/1996_fishman_lancet_1/1996_fishman_lancet_1_text.shtml

Melatonin, a cancer fighting chemical that is released when you sleep is contained in marijuana."

 

[BlueShadow123]

There are Ok my bad :imsorry:

 

[edwest2]

The Potifical Council for the Family makes it quite clear:

ewtn.com/library/CURIA/PCFDRUGS.HTM

Please guys, this reminds of the “how far can I go with my girlfriend before it’s a sin?” threads.

Peace,
Ed