Expert: J.M.J. West - 9/8/2008

Question
QUESTION: Is smoking marijuana a mortal sin?

ANSWER: The Church doesn't have a specific opinion on Marijuana, so the best we can do is speculate.  NOTICE: This is my opinion on the Church based upon her teachings - I am NOT speaking infallibly on this issue in any way, and were the Church to clarify the issue tomorrow that would be what stands.

The specific criteria for a Mortal Sin are:
1)Grave Matter
2)Freely Chosen
3)Sufficiently Informed

I doubt reason 2 will come into play unless one is accidentally getting a contact high from a party or some such situation.  Reason three might come into play, if one really just didn't know that drugs can be bad.  But the biggest issue is Number 1...is Pot smoking a grave sin.  I don't think it's a mortal sin per se, but it most likely is a venial sin for various reasons.

In the first place, smoking in general is a discouraged but not prohibited activity, because it can damage the body and we ought to respect the bodies we've been given in general.  BUT Catholics are no tea totalers either.  G. K. Chesterton wrote in response to the anti-smoking campaigns of his day (a century ago!), "Smoke, or don't smoke, it's up to you. But remember that there is a danger here that is far more hazardous to your soul than the health hazards associated with tobacco. I am speaking of the sin of pride, manifested in the turning up of one's nose at legitimate pleasures that are signs of God's goodness. Pride is the main motivation of prohibitionists everywhere."

In the second place, however, marijuana is a form of intoxicant which dims our ability to use reason.  I personally spent about 6 years using pot daily, so I'm not merely speculating in this matter.  One or two hits off of a joint or pipe will often get you about as high as five or six, so it's hard to moderate (though 3 or 4 joints in a short time will certainly get you very much higher).  And in this state of being high, one's use of one's god-given reason (a supernatural ability) becomes dimmed.  "Be sober and vigilant" warns St. Peter (1 Peter 5) for when we dim our reason, we open ourselves to sin.

It definitely affects one's ability to think clearly, hence the proverbial conversation killer "Wait...what were we just talking about".  Marijuana can also dispose us to the vices of sloth (sitting around watching the TV for hours) and gluttony (the "munchies"), and probably lust too.

BUT, again, we're not tea-totalers.  Christ's first miracle was to make the the best wine the world ever saw for people who had already been partying for a few days (John 2).  "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy," said Ben Franklyn, and I think that if this is the case about alcohol (which takes brewing skill), then it's probably the same for natural substances like Marijuana - again WITHIN REASON.

In the Third place, however, we are called to obey all just laws lest we give rise to scandal.  By disobeying just laws, we are presenting an image of Christians as selfishly unconcerned for the good of society, which is just not the case.

Moreover, since it is illegal (in the US at least), one's dollar is one's vote, and usually one is supporting less than reputable people and industries which often spread out into other less than holy ways.  This is a bit "unfair", because this is a law which is not unjust, but may not be the fairest law to which we must submit (just like the speed limit).  But the law is the law, and it's fair enough in this case.  You are certainly permitted to advocate the decriminalization of marijuana, which would bypass this third concern.

Fourthly, of course, Marijuana can be a gate-way drug simply by bringing one into contact with other drug users and products in the process of procuring said drug.  Some other drugs are much more serious in their harm to the body, mind, and spirit; as such one must be on guard for this.

So...is it a mortal sin?  I don't think so, but the use of marijuana is problematic at best.  In an ideal world, one would have a small patch in their back yard which they'd cultivate and smoke only in the company of friends patients, and never smoking too much.  (Were it decriminalized, I'd probably do this myself).

I hope that helps.  Attached are some relevant Catechism paragraphs.  Feel free to ask any follow up questions.

Pax Christi,

-J.M.J. West
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"Respect for health

2288 Life and physical health are precious gifts entrusted to us by God. We must take reasonable care of them, taking into account the needs of others and the common good.

Concern for the health of its citizens requires that society help in the attainment of living-conditions that allow them to grow and reach maturity: food and clothing, housing, health care, basic education, employment, and social assistance.

2289 If morality requires respect for the life of the body, it does not make it an absolute value. It rejects a neo-pagan notion that tends to promote the cult of the body, to sacrifice everything for it's sake, to idolize physical perfection and success at sports. By its selective preference of the strong over the weak, such a conception can lead to the perversion of human relationships.

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.

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."
(Source: http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a5.htm)
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www.gotjustice.net


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: After reading your answer "1...is pot smoking a grave sin. I don't think it's a mortal sin per se,". Then reading the catechism paragraph 2291 I must ask is marijuana a drug?

Answer
Honestly, I suspect it falls closer into line behind alcohol than "drugs" per se, but it fits close enough to "drug" that one must at least take some heed upon the reading of that paragraph.  It definitely fits the "Clandestine production of and trafficking in drugs" section.  And 99% of all references to it will list it as a drug, so semantics aside, I'm alright with calling it a drug.  (Broadly, I'd consider alcohol and tobacco drugs too, but of course there is a hierarchy of 'drugs', and I'd put those three on one end, and drugs like heroin, cocaine and meth on the far other end.)

But, again, I'm not an expert on this per se, just applying the basic principles.