Catholics and Marijuana



01:34 – Part I – Church Teaching
06:15 – Part II – Theological Opinion
12:29 – Conclusion

“If I should say anything that is not in conformity with the Holy Roman Catholic Church, it will be through ignorance and not through malice.”

I would like to reiterate that I do not think the videos I cited from other Catholic creators are *bad*, just that I found them *inadequate* in exploring the Church’s position on drug use. Brian Holdsworth has done the best treatment I have seen so far, so I would consider my video here as a further supplement to his (for those who would like to look at the moral foundation of the Church’s theoretical position).

Church Teaching:
CCC 2290 The virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine. Those incur grave guilt who, by drunkenness or a love of speed, endanger their own and others’ safety on the road, at sea, or in the air.

CCC 2291 The use of drugs inflicts very grave damage on human health and life. Their use, except on strictly therapeutic grounds, is a grave offense. Clandestine production of and trafficking in drugs are scandalous practices. They constitute direct co-operation in evil, since they encourage people to practices gravely contrary to the moral law.

CCC 2291 Stupefactivorum medicamentorum usus gravissimas infligit valetudini et vitae humanae destructiones. Extra indicationes stricte therapeuticas, gravis est culpa. Clandestina stupefactivorum medicamentorum productio et mercatura operationes sunt scandalosae; cooperationem constituunt directam, quoniam ad usus legi morali incitant graviter contrarios.

The takeaway –
The Church offers general instruction on the use of any substance that produces a stupefying effect in its users. When not used for medicinal reasons, any drugs that incapacitate the users present serious moral problems. Getting drunk or getting high will always be strongly condemned.

In general, while the Church has not specifically permitted or prohibited the recreational use of marijuana does not mean we are free to do what we will with the substance as Catholics. But in our analysis of this, we must divorce ourselves from any historical or cultural bias against the drug, and we must also be very critical of the drug itself.

What We Know About Pot in 2017: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yewlM8CtbQU

The Harms of Marijuana: https://youtu.be/BdRgA7K4DcE

The National Acadamies of Sciences, Medicine, and Engineering Report in 2017: http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=24625&_ga=1.198930671.1791292794.1484233196

A Clinical Dilemma: Recommending Pot to Patients: https://www.npr.org/2013/03/12/174119111/a-clinical-dilemma-recommending-pot-to-patients

The Health Effects of Cannibis and Cannibinoids: http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=24625&_ga=1.198930671.1791292794.1484233196

Drunk Stoned Perverted Dead: http://edwardfeser.blogspot.com/2018/02/drunk-stoned-perverted-dead.html

The Perverted Faculty Argument: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4SjM0oabZazWC1SRmN0WXVpYkE/view

Man Takes a Drink: https://www.amazon.com/Man-Takes-Drink-Principles-Alcohol/dp/B000VAWPRA

If You Say It Loud Enough, You’ll Always Sound Precocious: http://jimmyakin.com/2012/03/if-you-say-it-loud-enough-youll-always-sound-precocious.html

What’s the Church’s Position on Marijuana: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7LnVGbdfuQ

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