Should marijuana be considered a sin?

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Using a proscribed drug for medical purposes which has been prescribed by a doctor is okay and is not a sin.
Obtaining it illegally, without a doctor’s prescription is a sin.
Well, if Grandma has cancer and her state doesn’t allow medical marijuana, then she must go to Confession after she medicates herself.
 
I don’t think addictions are sins, though.
Hmmm. Maybe. I suppose pothead addiction doesn’t seem to be that sinful, but think about a raging alcoholic who beats up his kids, or a meth addict who abuses his wife. That just seems sinful but maybe it’s the behavior that goes along with it that is actually sinful.
 
Nothing good comes from marijuana, or intoxicants in general.

First, you’re more likely to commit other sins while intoxicated. Not always, of course, but there is a great deal of sexual immorality, gluttony, etc. that is committed while people are drunk, stoned, or high.

Second, it’s easy to fall out of communion with the divine. Granted, I’m writing as a Muslim and we pray five times a day - so getting drunk is not really an option because it’s hard to “sober up” in a couple hours in order to pray. But even for non-Muslims, you’re much more likely to miss prayers (official or not), Mass if you have a hangover, etc.

Third, I think people really have to consider the world. There are people who don’t have enough to eat. Now I’m not saying we in the West must all live as monks and eat only rice and beans…if someone wants to go out for a nice meal to celebrate an occasion or something, I have no problem with that. But there’s a world of difference between that and using drugs, which give very temporarily pleasure and leave you wanting more.

Finally, you have to consider the opportunity cost. You’re drunk, stoned, or high - what else could you do with that time? So much more.
 
That is rubbish. Refer us to a credible research study which backs up your claim.
Certainly. Here is a study which shows that the use of marijuana may actually GROW brain cells 🙂

bioedonline.org/news/news.cfm?art=2083

And why marijuana is neither an intoxicant, nor a narcotic:

Narcotic, coined by the Greek physician Galen to refer to agents that benumb or deaden, causing loss of feeling or paralysis. It is based on the Greek word ναρκωσις (narcosis)

Use of the word “narcotic” to refer to any illegal or unlawfully possessed drug marijuana is common worldwide, although this is inaccurate because it is not considered to have narcotic effects in a medical context.

Intoxicant: the physiological state produced by a poison or other toxic substance typically resulting in inebriation.

Alcohol, opium/heroin and many other drugs are both numbing and toxic but cannabis is neither.

Cannabis does not block any neurotransmission nor does it produce the typical toxic side effects (withdrawal, nausea, hangover, overdose, death) of other drugs listed as either a narcotic or intoxicant.
 
I do not think that marijuana use would be considered a sin in itself, but there are some considerations to keep in mind.

First off, we are obligated to obey civil laws that do not cause us to commit a sin. Therefore, because marijuana is illegal in many places, we are obligated to not use marijuana in those places. Use of marijuana in jurisdictions where it is illegal would be a sin against the 5th Commandment, as we are to obey and honor authority figures and laws.

Second, if a jurisdiction were to legalize marijuana, I would think that marijuana would be treated like alcohol. That is, the use itself would not be a sin, but the immoderate use would be a sin, and perhaps even a mortal sin. As the Angelic Doctor states:
It may happen that a man is well aware that the drink is immoderate and intoxicating, and yet he would rather be drunk than abstain from drink. Such a man is a drunkard properly speaking, because morals take their species not from things that occur accidentally and beside the intention, but from that which is directly intended. On this way drunkenness is a mortal sin, because then a man willingly and knowingly deprives himself of the use of reason, whereby he performs virtuous deeds and avoids sin, and thus he sins mortally by running the risk of falling into sin.
So we can see that if one drinks alcohol in order to become drunk to the point of depriving himself of reason, that man has committed a mortal sin. The same could then be said for marijuana, as it is a mortal sin to intend to deprive oneself of reason.
 
Certainly. Here is a study which shows that the use of marijuana may actually GROW brain cells 🙂

bioedonline.org/news/news.cfm?art=2083

And why marijuana is neither an intoxicant, nor a narcotic:

Narcotic, coined by the Greek physician Galen to refer to agents that benumb or deaden, causing loss of feeling or paralysis. It is based on the Greek word ναρκωσις (narcosis)

Use of the word “narcotic” to refer to any illegal or unlawfully possessed drug marijuana is common worldwide, although this is inaccurate because it is not considered to have narcotic effects in a medical context.

Intoxicant: the physiological state produced by a poison or other toxic substance typically resulting in inebriation.

Alcohol, opium/heroin and many other drugs are both numbing and toxic but cannabis is neither.

Cannabis does not block any neurotransmission nor does it produce the typical toxic side effects (withdrawal, nausea, hangover, overdose, death) of other drugs listed as either a narcotic or intoxicant.
drugabuse.gov/infofacts/marijuana.html
nida.nih.gov/researchreports/marijuana/marijuana3.html
senaterepublicans.ct.gov/press/boucher/2009/062309.html
councilonalcoholism.net/images/Page%204%20Physical%20Dangers%20&%20Birth%20Defects.pdf
healthieryou.com/mjteen.html
 
Gee,what an endorsement from someone who is just visiting here and chatting.Come now.this poison has been around for centuries and ruins the brain cells,has caused more accidents ,driving while stoned does that young fellow and even tho you sound like the outdated hippy endorsement of this loco weed,it does not make the world a better place…that was the lie that did John Lennon in,he promised such paradise to his gullible followers and one of them killed him …strawberry fields forever sure! This junk was first called weed,then grass,then joint…finally our rulers settled on ‘pot’ for that conjures to the mind that its harmless and even good for ya,as in mommys pot on the stove.
So much ignorance
 
As with all of God’s creation, it is the use that is sinful, not the substance. Marijuana has legitimate medical uses, but you don’t need to smoke two bongs worth to alleviate nausea. The Scriptures say drunkeness is a sin, so using weed to get high is a sin. When you turn to drugs to deal with problems instead of God, it is a sin. When you use drugs to a escape reality, it is a sin. When you smoke weed under a doctors supervision because you have glaucoma, or cancer, or whatever, it is not a sin, just like it is not a sin to take pain killers after surgery.
 
That is rubbish. Refer us to a credible research study which backs up your claim.
I used to hand out the excellent book "Marijuana ,time for a closer look " by Doctor Curits Janeczek…plus a comic book that went with it to my students.some of the chapter headings; Marijuana and the lungs,…and the brain,dope and driving,grass and reproduction,grass,genes and chromosomes,marijuana and immunity a great book that the establishment hates. I got it from Healthstar,columbus Ohio…po box 8426,Columbus Ohio 43201…I purchased and used this book back in 1981…after reading the above chapters one can see why I hated so much the Playboy mag.for running ads for years pleading for the legalization of marijuana…they pushed prostitution and adultery why not this garbage…kill the soul and body…
 
Thistle, all of those sources are from government and lobbying sources with a vested interest in keeping marijuana illegal, not from legitimate medical sources like the one I provided. Sorry, it’s just propaganda. Find me a legitimate scientific study that says marijuana kills brain cells, is physically addictive, or contains carcinogens.
 
Marijuana does not contain carcinogens. If it contained carcinogens then it would absolutely never be used to treat cancer patients.

As for whether or not it is a sin, that depends on the circumstances. I used to use it but I don’t anymore. The main reason that I don’t is because of the sinful lifestyle that goes along with marijuana users. Several users that I’ve encountered are atheists, have premarital sex, and do other things that simply aren’t good influences for a Catholic teen. Also, I try to honor my mother and father and smoking marijuana would definitely go against their wills.

So I guess what I’m trying to say is that I don’t feel that smoking marijuana is a sin, but most of the things that go along with it are sinful.
I beg to differ. Cannabis when heated contains twice the number of carcinogens than cigarettes. However, people do not smoke the same amount of marijuana as cigarettes. And marijuana is not used to treat cancer; it is used to alleviate the pain of people who are suffering from cancer, often terminal cancer.
 
I beg to differ. Cannabis when heated contains twice the number of carcinogens than cigarettes. However, people do not smoke the same amount of marijuana as cigarettes. And marijuana is not used to treat cancer; it is used to alleviate the pain of people who are suffering from cancer, often terminal cancer.
Yes, when heated. Kit is the SMOKE that contains carcinogens. When vaporized or ingested, marijuana is harmless. You cannot even overdose on it because it is non-toxic.
 
Thistle, all of those sources are from government and lobbying sources with a vested interest in keeping marijuana illegal, not from legitimate medical sources like the one I provided. Sorry, it’s just propaganda. Find me a legitimate scientific study that says marijuana kills brain cells, is physically addictive, or contains carcinogens.
Yours was from a biology teacher. Give me a break.
Don’t tell me you are one of these conspiracy people who think everything a government puts out is a lie!!

ukcia.org/research/Pharm/index.php
rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinfo/problems/alcoholanddrugs/cannabis.aspx
bbc.co.uk/health/emotional_health/addictions/cannabis.shtml
 
Yours was from a biology teacher. Give me a break.
Don’t tell me you are one of these conspiracy people who think everything a government puts out is a lie!!

ukcia.org/research/Pharm/index.php
rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinfo/problems/alcoholanddrugs/cannabis.aspx
bbc.co.uk/health/emotional_health/addictions/cannabis.shtml
The studies were done by the University of Saskatchewan and at Princeton University and hen reprinted in a medical journal. Marijuana does NOT cause cancer and it does NOT kill brain cells because it CANNOT. The way it works is by “tickling” the neurotransmitters in the brain. Once the effects of the plant wear off, the brain goes back to normal. This is well documented.

It is not a toxic substance, making overdose impossible. Not ONE overdose has ever been documented with marijuana, not one.

It is not physically addictive either.

Your sources are completely biased and they get government funding by propagating lies about a harmless plant.

Alcohol is FAR more dangerous.

The “reefer madness” has to stop.
 
yes it does
disobeying just laws that do not conflict with the Commandments is a sin.
Venial at best I would think, especially in a case where someone grows their own or knows someone who does so that it cannot be traced to any violence or cartels.
 
Venial at best I would think, especially in a case where someone grows their own or knows someone who does so that it cannot be traced to any violence or cartels.
repeat it is against the law and is therefore a sin

no amount of equivocation, misinformation, and wishful (not to say delusional) thinking is going to change that
 
repeat it is against the law and is therefore a sin

no amount of equivocation, misinformation, and wishful (not to say delusional) thinking is going to change that
No misinformtion or equivocation at all here. It is probably a venial sin at most when done in moderation. The same as running a stop sign is a venial sin. Unless someone here would care to argue otherwise?
 
I beg to differ. Cannabis when heated contains twice the number of carcinogens than cigarettes. However, people do not smoke the same amount of marijuana as cigarettes. And marijuana is not used to treat cancer; it is used to alleviate the pain of people who are suffering from cancer, often terminal cancer.
Actually its used to create an appetite because of the nausea from the effect of the chemo - its the only drug know that can do this - so the person doesn’t loss weight from not eating allowing them to be stronger during treatment.All people in the terminal phase are on Morphine to treat the pain not Cannabis.The only effect Cannabis would have is it might allow your to take your mind off you condition and have some peace for a time and allow you to sleep.
 
If it’s against the law, it’s a sin. If it’s not done in moderation (temperance; gluttony), it’s a sin. If it’s harmful to the body and one continues to use it despite knowing this, it’s a sin. It’s also been said to speed up and/or worsen mental illness in those predisposed to it; and it clearly doesn’t induce the best behavior and/or reasoning in anyone - at least those I’ve known in the past (including myself). Yes, it does generate appetite and enhance the senses - but I’m not sure that it distracts from pain. It didn’t for me; maybe that’s a case by case thing. Also, it can cause rapid heart-beating - a very scary and possibly dangerous effect. So, from my perspective: recreational marijuana use should be considered sinful in most cases today, but not necessarily universally; certainly not medicinally / legally.
 
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