Where Does Religion Stand When It Comes To Cannabis?

2009.04.02

The first thought that comes to mind when cannabis and religion are mentioned in the same sentence is a sinister cult. Cannabis goes way back in history with its affiliation in various religions.

Most recognized religions of today are against the use of pot for the major reason being it’s what they believe to be a mind-altering drug. Contemporary religions are of the belief that a substance that affects the normal way of thinking and acting in an unaccustomed manner is not to be tolerated. They basically have the same take on weed as they do on alcohol.

Most likely, the most common religion that one can relate would be the Rastafarian religion. They are quite open as to their reasoning behind cannabis. Most religions that condone the use of hash in their religion is for what they consider “spiritual enlightenment” only.

There are some religions such as Taoism at first considered the drug had a dark side to it. That is would create hallucinations that led its users to see the devil. As time passed, though still go far back in history the opinions changed to some degree. It was believed that if the cannabis seeds were only used in incense burners it was very beneficial to meditation. It helped on to get into the flow of letting oneself go, which is the premise of meditation. So the outcome was that cannabis in a light variation had its good points and was considered acceptable.

If one looks back into historical Christianity, the question has been raised as to whether cannabis was used in some form in its holy anointing oils. If this were the case, it should be remembered that cannabis could have an affect on the body just by absorption.

A separate group of Islam known as Sufism advocates the use of marijuana because of the effects it produces. They believe that pot relaxes the mind and takes the mind where it can comprehend God on a more spiritual level. There is a story that goes with the use of the cannabis amongst this religion. They tell a tale of a monk who was depressed and sat down on his journey. He was hungry with nothing to eat so he ate the leaves of the marijuana plant. Within a short time, his once depressed state had now turned to euphoria and happiness. Hence the birth of pot amongst their religion.

The Hindu religion was quite active and creative when it came to the use of marijuana. Mind you, this is going back to about 1500 BC. They would make a drink out it that they would partake from it at their main festivals. Cannabis is to affiliated with the God they honor called Shiva. The shiavites most often utilize the weed by smoking it in clay pipes. Their paraphernalia in some cases was not unlike that which is used to day. Although it would be unlikely they would have some elaborate or useful such as a bubble bag.