Should I Break The Law To Change It

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Edy

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Cannabis in my country is illegal. It was also illegal in other countries and there seems to be a trend when looking at how it was legalised.

The common trend is that too many people broke the law. The law could not justify the imprisonment and other detrimental social aspects of keeping such a medicine illigal.

I have my personal reasons for wanting to use cannabis. I try alternatives first but sometimes I feel I need to resort to using it. My biggest problem is that I know who invented cannabis. Its not some man made drug created in the lab.

If medicinal cannabis were legal in my country, I could get a prescription based on my ADHD history. When I see children in other countries benefit from God’s gift, I wonder why I was deprived of an easier childhood. In my own personal experience I know it helps me in more ways than one. But as a convert to Catholic life, because it is illegal, I can not use it even if it does help me.

This leads me to my question. If the only way I can get it legalised in my country, is to use it, then should I not use it.

The law is unjust in that people are imprisoned for no good reason. Families are torn apart because of the illegality. Hemp is illegal also, to grow and consume/use. I almost feel morally obliged to consume and legaljse for all the other people who could benefit from the medicinal effects.
 
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Edy said:
My biggest problem is that I know who invented cannabis. Its not some man made drug created in the lab.
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That’s really not a good argument…

I mean, opium and coca are both God given plants as well.

So is Datura.

Oh and cyanide is naturally occurring too.

My point is natural does not equal good, and synthetic does not equal bad carte blanche.
 
And smoking anything gives off carbon monoxide of which there is no safe level. THC is addictive, so though in some pill or oil form it has been shown to hlep physical pain, there has been no consolidated definitive medical research endorsed by the American Medical Association - to my knowledge.
 
Gabika50 said:
there has been no consolidated definitive medical research endorsed by the American Medical Association - to my knowledge.
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No, but that research has been severely hindered by the ridiculous fact that marijuana is schedule I.

According to the United States Federal Government, marijuana has a higher abuse potential and less medical potential than methamphetamine and cocaine.

PS: whats up with all the weed threads lately? Is it because weed has been in the news a lot with Canada legalizing it?
 
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The laws are there for a reason. No, you shouldn’t break the law in order to change it. Write to your government officials and ask them to vote for the change you desire.
 
I don’t have any informed opinion on your arguments about cannabis.

Thinking about your primary question, “Should I break the law to change it”. I think that history is replete with examples of good people breaking unjust laws, and this being accepted as morally licit. Sometimes they broke the law privately because it was preventing them to do a good, and sometimes they did it publicly with the intention of changing it. Rosa Parks is the best example who comes to mind, but I’m sure there are others.

So, my answer is “Yes - you can”. Whether you “can” or “should” though, in a particular case, is between you and God, with the help of the Church and a confessor. Err on the side of caution.
 
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If it’s important to you, why not move somewhere where it’s legal?

What country do you live in?
 
ChristMyLife said:
That’s really not a good argument…

I mean, opium and coca are both God given plants as well.

So is Datura.

Oh and cyanide is naturally occurring
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The drug forms of opium and coca need to be boiled off the plants using harsh chemicals like deisal and alcohol. Our Lord’s creations are generally easy to distinguish between harmful and useful. If someone uses it and they drop dead, then it’s not intended for us to use it that way. I’m not familiar with the other two.

Cannabis is the most tested drug known to man. Tested more than pharmaceutical drugs. Proven to be safer than paracetamol. It doesn’t need to be stripped using alcohol or harsh chemicals. You can eat the plant raw and still benefit from the medicinal effects, it just tastes very earthly.

I believe, if our Lord never intended for us to use it, then it would be easy to recognise it’s harmful effects. Instead we have an array of false claims like it kills brain cells or causes lung cancer, all of which are quickly refuted by independent studies and scientists.

Hemp alone has 5000plus uses. Long life clothing, negative carbon footprint concrete (hempcrete), impact resistant car panels, soaps, strong long lasting rope, the list goes on.

Hemp or marijuana seeds are a super food. More amino acids than meat, making it one of the most complete natural proteins known to man. Contains two essentially fatty acids. High in omega 3 and omega 6. (Hemp seed oil has higher levels than walnuts and fish oil). Hemp seed is preferred because they are bigger and contain more oil, but marijuana seeds contain the same properties. This super food is also illegal in my country. I’m allowed to buy it as animal feed, which comes with a little sticker saying it’s treated as if for human consumption. So then technically I’m breaking the law anyway because I like to consume hemp seed oil for all the above reasons.

I call it God’s gift for a reason. If Holy Water were illegal, would you stop using it?
 
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My understanding of this issue (disclaimer I’m not a theologian ), is that if you decide to go the “break the law to change it” route, then you have to be willing to endure the natural consequences, such as (name removed by moderator)risonment, in order to make change happen.
 
Are you willing to go to jail?
Your family is going to be burdened and grieved when you are in jail.

How do you find work after you’ve been to prison? How will you support yourself? And what about your family? Maybe they need you to be around for them and help them in their struggles in life.
These are the practical questions you should be thinking of. That conversation you are having in your head right now will land you in prison and change nothing. No law will change because you are in there. If you think you’re struggling now, just wait.

Change the conversation you’re having in your head. It’s a train wreck that helps no one. Stop trying to dress it up like it does.
 
I am but one person. I would answer, it is a risk.

Thousands of other people have the same answer, and thousands are arrested and imprisoned.

Why are they imprisoned?
Is it because…
  1. They are ignorant of the law and therefore deserve imprisonment
  2. They want the law changed because imprisonment is unjust and not working as a deterant
Please give reasons why
 
Edy said:
This leads me to my question. If the only way I can get it legalised in my country, is to use it, then should I not use it.
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actually no. The premise that the only way to get marijuana legalised is to use It is faulty, as the authorities will not amend their laws simply because a citizen is using the drug.

What country do you live in that doesnt allow medicinal marijuana?
 
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I live in a part of the world where last year cannabis was allowed to be medically prescribed - within limits.

I can assure you this was not permitted because of people just using it anyway. If that were the case, other drugs would also have been legalised.

There are scientists who think LSD or MDMA might be beneficial in treating certain psychological conditions, for example. And there are LSD and MDMA users aplenty - but no steps being taken towards legalization.

Not everything that is natural is good for us, and not every plant is intended for human consumption. Simple as that.
 
Recreational cannabis is legal where i am which I think is stupid but it doesn’t affect me so I don’t really care. But I know here you can apply to get medical marijuana. Is CBD oil legal where you are that may help (not too sure. It’s hemp oil without THC some people say it’s good for relaxation anxiety and depression) or psychiatrist medications which are quite expensive.
 
what country are you in, Jail or a death sentence depending on the country you are in. If growing hemp for clothing and fibre etc is illegal in your country, i can’t imagine you are in a country that would go easy on a person using marijuana
Aren’t you a husband and father? Isn’t your first duty to support and love your wife and children?

Hemp won’t do a thing medically, it doesn’t have the compounds required.
 
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People seem to forget that smoking of any kind is bad, and the tobacco corporations which were old to advertise what we already know- how they manipulated paper, nicotine, and the tobacco itself to be more addictive, were never ordered to reverse the process. They may have lost some cash, so now for survival they may have to diversify so we can have more options to be strung out, addicted, weak, and physically messed up. This will really help the health care industry as these “cures” also become recreational drugs!
 
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