Questions About Catholics Smoking Marijuana

[jazzytakara]

I believe marijuana should only be used medicinally if prescribed by a doctor. There are people who legitimately need it for severe illnesses such as cancer. There are also some adverse health effects, they may not be as severe as say heroin, but still something to consider: http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/marijuana 
http://www.cpha.ca/en/portals/substance/health/faq02.aspx

http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/evidence99/marijuana/Health_1.html

 

As Catholics we are supposed to practice moderation and follow the laws of our country/state/province/etc. as long as they are not intrinsically immoral. I don't see recreational drug use as a good thing, its the same as alcohol, its damaging mentally/physically and alters behaviors. Some people actually do react negatively to marijuana in their systems, I once saw a guy have a nervous breakdown, began to violently shake, and nearly hit his head on the floor as he fell and couldn't get back up. Many people also noticed problems with their respiratory system. Although I can't make the decision for anyone, its best to look into all sides of the debate, not just pro-marijuana sites. And even if legal, always check with a physician to see if your body is able to handle the drug, same with any other medicine or legal drug. And if you are prone to addiction, best not to take it. I won't take certain medications as I am prone to addiction. But personally, I do have a bias, as I have never agreed with it. There are numerous medical research projects about the adverse long term and short term effects of marijuana.

As for the Big Mac comments of earlier, if you're eating poorly once in awhile, I don't think that is sinful. Sometimes life is super busy and we can't help but need fast food or otherwise not have time to eat. But if you're eating a Big Mac and other unhealthy food all of the time, then that is willful endangerment to personal health (or the health of others if your are feeding it to a dependent relation all of the time). 
 

At the end of the day it is a personal choice, so only we can make the decision for ourselves by weighing all of the options, alternatives, researching everything we can, and looking at Church Teaching. In RCIA we were asked to follow the STOP method when trying to figure out if something was a sin:

 

S = Search: What (what do you propose to do? What is your decision about?), Why (intention), Who, where, when, and how (reveals the circumstance).

T = Think: about the circumstances, the alternatives, the teaching the Church

O = Others: how will this action affect others (how it will affect them if I do/don't), consult others to help make the decision
P = Pray: talk to God as a friend about your decision, Holy Spirit can help us to do what we already know is right

 

 

Edited April 28, 2013 by jazzytakara

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

whether it be legal or not, recreational drug use is a no no, paticularily if used habitually. Medicinaly though is different, that is the natural purpose of drugs. Thats my opinion anyway, i could be wrong. Also marijuana is a very strong drug and always has been depending on the strain. Habitual drug use can lead to violence, the biggest consequence of recreational drug use is psychotic illnesses. Amesterdam has the highest rate per capita of drug psychosis. And now portugal i hear has legalised certain drugs and say over the past how ever many years there has been no increase of users but it is only in it's early days, once people get used to the law and are born with this identity many will start using drugs and psychosis will increase therefore unemployment will also increase which will increase the crime rate, including violent crime. Thats what i rekon anyway. I used to smoke alot of marijuana and became somewhat violent towards anyone whom stood against my drug use,raging and putting holes in walls and threatening people, plus i've never worked as a consequence of incuring a mental illness from my drug use. If i wasn't living in australia where the social security system is the best in the world i would have no money and would have to find other ways to get my money for food because i'm un-employable, again all thanks mainly to marijuana. I thank God though for my parents whom have stuck with me through this and also for being raised by a good moral code stemming from christianity, if i didn't have this i think i would have been a hell of alot worse. 

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

I guess if no one worked for money and everyone was a christian rasta living off the land and love there would be less psycho sematic symptons because theres little to no pressure, and if everyone would help each other etc etc. Still there would be sin in the community therefore violence would still be a threat. Again just my opinon. Rastas are pretty cool and all and have some really awesome music about love and peace but i'm pretty sure it is not a eutopia, and nore are we a eutopia because of sin.

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

Also i must point out that i don't think rastas believe they should wait till there married to have sex, i'm unsure you will have to look into it. They still believe in marriage i think but unsure of the parametres of there version of marriage.

Edited April 28, 2013 by Tab'le Du'Bah-Rye

[ardillacid]

I was looking forward to your contribution to this thread. 

[Ice_nine]

if the government outlawed wearing green clothes, I don't know for some semi-arbitrary and ridiculous reason like "green is the color of islam and we can't have that hear in murica" would you abide by that really ridiculous law? I mean it's not wrong to not wear green.

 

 

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

I was looking forward to your contribution to this thread. 

 

 

ME? No no no, you may have the wrong guy. I'm just a beginer a lamb that seems to get caught up chasing butterflies and wanders so often away from the flock. :(

 

St Paul "persistance bears fruits of hope."

Edited April 28, 2013 by Tab'le Du'Bah-Rye

[Spem in alium]

I'm not sure if I would smoke pot if it was legal. 

 

Ditto. One of my Coptic Orthodox friends possesses marijuana (from my understanding, legally). I don't know if I could take it, even if it were legal in all senses. 

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

I was looking forward to your contribution to this thread. 

 

 

Sorry if i have let you down. but i don't really have anything wham bam to say about the matter. It is popular culture at times to think that marijuana is some kind of soft drug but it isn't, it is possibly the strongest drug of all in it's natural state, remembering cocaine,heroin and exstacy to name a few are not drugs in there natural state.

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

Just to put it out there and i don't know the truth on this. Some say some or most people are pre disposed to mental illness and that marijuana can trigger that but that if you don't have this pre disposition than it is okay to smoke or eat it. Also somone said to me once, and again i'm not saying whether i believe it or not, this person said to me that "drugs are okay as long as it doesn't cause you to break one of the 10 commandments." I would add sin too, paticularily when becoming a grave disorder/habitual and i would put other drugs in that same class. I was just thinking also if that is so with drugs than possibly some or most people have a pre disposition to severe depression and using excess alcohol can trigger this.

[Norseman82]

 I mean it's not wrong to not wear green.

 

But it's not easy being green....

[jeffboom]

Ok, have fun with your vegan diet and b12 supplements.  

Humans are meant to eat mostly fruits and vegetables. Eating meat on a regular basis increases chances of getting almost every type of cancer. 

[jeffboom]

if the government outlawed wearing green clothes, I don't know for some semi-arbitrary and ridiculous reason like "green is the color of islam and we can't have that hear in murica" would you abide by that really ridiculous law? I mean it's not wrong to not wear green.

 

Just like its not really wrong to smoke marijuana. But the law of the land  bears some importance. The difficulty comes when one has to decide what laws are legitimate and what ones aren't. 

[jeffboom]

Sorry if i have let you down. but i don't really have anything wham bam to say about the matter. It is popular culture at times to think that marijuana is some kind of soft drug but it isn't, it is possibly the strongest drug of all in it's natural state, remembering cocaine,heroin and exstacy to name a few are not drugs in there natural state.

 

Marijuana is the most benign drug known to man. There is no realistic lethal dose. There is no recorded death from the sole use of marijuana. Marijuana is not known to cause violent behavior or otherwise risky behavior. Marijuana is not thought to cause any disease or mental disorder. Those predisposed to schitzophrenia are not to smoke marijuana. The marijuana does not cause the schizophrenia. One has to have genetic predisposition to schitzophrenia for marijuana to even affect the problem. 

 

Cigarettes and other over the counter drugs generally are much more hazardous to one's health. Cigarettes are linked to -

[Papist]

There is nothing wrong with marijuana. I know someone that has been smoking it for over 20 years and he's fine.  I visit him from time to time...at his mom's basement.