Humanity was created to know and love God.³ We were made to be in relationship with our Creator, and He designed us for that purpose. God gave each of us an intellect to know Him, a will to choose to love Him, and emotions to move us to actions that propel us toward Him and repel us from evils that draw us away from Him.⁴

Scripture sheds further light on our design by revealing the astonishing truth that “God created man in his own image.”⁵ God is a Trinity—a loving communion of Three Persons who give themselves fully to each other—and we reflect Him most fully when we make a gift of self in relationship, first with Him, and then with others.

Understanding that we are persons created for loving communion, we can judge that drugs are only an apparent good. They are bad for us since they hinder our ability to know and to love. As will be explained in greater depth in Section II, drugs diminish our self-possession by harming the very faculties that make us human: drugs inhibit our use of reason, weaken our will’s orientation toward the good, and train our emotions to expect quick relief from artificial pleasure. These effects severely limit our ability to freely give ourselves to another—whether it be temporarily, as in the case of occasional drug use, or regularly, as in the case of drug addiction. We say “no” to drugs so that we may fully say “yes” to our vocation to love.

It must be noted that there are many legitimate uses of therapeutic drugs. Shown in Section V (Frequently Asked Questions), medicines that assist in restoring the body to health are a genuine good that help us fulfill our purpose. Also treated in this section is the distinction between recreational drugs and alcohol, which are fundamentally different.

St. Thomas Aquinas’s classic definition of love as willing the good of the other¹⁴ also applies to self-love. Since drugs are harmful to both the mind and the body (as will be demonstrated in Section III), using them is an unloving and, therefore, immoral action. The Catechism stresses this reality: “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 cooperation in evil, since they encourage people to practices gravely contrary to the moral law.”¹⁵ This truth is borne out in the lives of the 18.4 million Americans who are trapped in drug addiction (6.6% of the population age 12 and older).¹⁶ Pope Francis was right to call drugs “a new form of slavery.”¹⁷

The Catechism insightfully situates this paragraph about drugs under the fifth commandment, “You shall not kill.”¹⁸ There has been widespread desensitization to drugs because of their prevalence in daily life and their glamorization in media, but by addressing drug use in the context of this commandment, we are reminded that drugs are dangerous enough to kill. Certainly, no first-time drug user believes he is starting down a path that will end in his own death,¹⁹ but this was the tragic result for the 106,699 Americans who died from drug overdoses in 2021.²⁰

Drug advocates draw a distinction between “hard” and “soft” drugs, arguing that the latter is permissible because the risks of bodily harm are minimal. First, this categorization is subjective since at the pharmacological level such a distinction does not exist.²¹ Second, any drug use is implicitly encouraged when we minimize the dangers of some drug use because it teaches the culture to view drugs as an answer to its problems. Pope St. John Paul II noted, “This distinction [between soft and hard drugs] disregards and downplays the risks inherent in taking any toxic product, especially behavioral dependency, which is based on the psychic structures themselves, the blurring of conscience and the loss of one’s will and freedom, whatever the drug.”²² While a “soft” drug like marijuana might not cause physical dependency, it can cause psychological dependency. We have witnessed this phenomenon in Colorado with marijuana use disorder affecting 1.6% of the population²³ in the early 2000s but jumping to 3.3% as of 2019²⁴—more than doubling in a span of less than twenty years. The legalization of recreational marijuana and its promotion as harmless surely downplayed the risks for those who later became psychologically dependent.

Additional psychic effects highlighted by the pope attack key aspects of our personhood: conscience, will, and freedom. This leads us to the second foundational reason not to use drugs:

Drug use “seriously reduces the freedom of a person, sometimes to the extent of canceling it completely.”²⁵ It diminishes man’s ability to make free choices because it impedes the intellect and dulls judgment, while simultaneously weakening the will and sapping moral energy.²⁶ Pope St. John Paul II went so far as to say that taking drugs “is always illicit, because it involves an unjustified and irrational renunciation of thinking, willing and acting as free persons…. We cannot speak of the ‘freedom to take drugs’ or ‘the right to drugs,’ for the human being has no right to harm him/herself, nor the right to abdicate one’s personal dignity, which comes from God!”²⁷ He additionally stressed that drugs frustrate a person’s capacity for communion and self-gift, which is her very reason for being.²⁸

The truth is that even “soft” drugs assault the human person by negatively affecting him on physical, intellectual, psychological, social, and moral levels.²⁹ For instance, marijuana causes deficits in the brain’s executive functioning, temporarily impairing coordination, concentration, working memory, and inhibition.³⁰ For those who might be tempted to sacrifice some of their dignity for the pleasure drugs bring, we are reminded of the paraphrase³¹ of Pope Benedict XVI’s words: “The world offers you comfort. But you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.”

This call to greatness makes drug use unsuitable for Christians, who are called to reflect Christ to the world. We should live differently because Jesus has changed us!

As Pope Benedict XVI wrote, “Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.”³² Such a life-changing encounter with Jesus inspires us to turn to Him first in everything and reevaluate our lives in light of the Gospel. As our conversion deepens, we more fully embrace Christ’s invitation to leave behind unhealthy attachments and coping mechanisms, like drugs, and become “perfect, as [our] heavenly Father is perfect.”³³ This radical call to virtue is demanding, but love and joy propel us to work tirelessly with Jesus to remove from our hearts everything that is not of Him so that we might be filled with “every spiritual blessing.”³⁴

Part of this virtuous life is honoring God with our bodies. St. Paul’s words are challenging: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So, glorify God in your body.”³⁵ Surely drugs, which impair the faculties that make us like God, do not glorify Him. St. Paul also reminds us, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”³⁶ Having been freed from the slavery of sin, all Christians should forgo drugs, through which a portion of all users end up enslaved in addiction, and “lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called.”³⁷

As then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger noted thirty years ago, “Drugs are an attempt to fill … the thirst of the soul.”³⁸ If we are Christians who use drugs, we must ask ourselves hard questions about what emptiness in our souls we are trying to fill or what pain in our lives we are seeking to numb. Yet this examen must take place within the mercy of Jesus who said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin again.”³⁹ No matter what we have done, His merciful love invites us out of sin and into abundant life. When we seek forgiveness through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we are spiritually strengthened,⁴⁰ receiving graces that help us address the causes of our sin and root them out. Whatever our current relationship to drugs, we are each invited to a life set on fire with the love of God in which we joyfully live out the command to “love God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind.”⁴¹ This is within every person’s reach through the grace of God, with whom all things are possible.⁴²

Americans spent an estimated $150 billion on illegal drugs in 2016, making the United States the largest market in the world.⁵³ The purchase and use of illicit drugs are harmful because it undermines the law, which ensures order in society and promotes the common good.⁵⁴ It also typically supports cartels, which resort to reprehensible means to maintain and increase their market share. These “merchants of death,”⁵⁵ as Pope St. John Paul II referred to them, traffic in the “freedom of their brothers”⁵⁶ by benefitting from, creating, and promoting addiction for the sake of profit.⁵⁷ In states where marijuana is legal, it has become big business. Medicinal and recreational sales in the United States are expected to reach $33 billion in 2022 alone.⁵⁸ These sales are only expected to grow, which is especially alarming since most marijuana products are now “high potency” and more frequently result in cannabis addiction.⁵⁹ From the 1960s to the 1980s, the majority of marijuana contained 2% THC, the psychoactive component of cannabis that causes the high. In the 1990s, it grew to 4%, but since 2015, most marijuana has at least 15% THC content.⁶⁰ Highly concentrated THC oils, popular among teens⁶¹ and consumed by vaping, are often 80- 95% THC!⁶²

Despite being marketed as harmless, the hard data about marijuana paint a different picture. For instance, a global survey found that only 64% of 50,000 cannabis users believed the drug could cause dependence,⁶³ meaning that 36% of active users did not know they had a 10% chance of becoming addicted.⁶⁴ And that’s the conservative estimate—another study found that approximately 3 in 10 people using cannabis products met the criteria for marijuana use disorder.⁶⁵

The CDC warns that “people who use marijuana are more likely to develop temporary psychosis (not knowing what is real, hallucinations, and paranoia) and long-lasting mental disorders, including schizophrenia (a type of mental illness where people might see or hear things that are not really there).”⁶⁶ A host of studies and health agencies has confirmed this alarming connection. The National Institute on Drug Abuse warns, “Recent research suggests that smoking high-potency marijuana every day could increase the chances of developing psychosis by nearly five times compared to people who have never used marijuana.”⁶⁷ The connection between psychosis and heavy marijuana use is especially frightening when we consider that about 20% of cannabis users consume it almost daily.⁶⁸ As Dr. Tyler J. VanderWeele of Harvard University summarized, “Cannabis use disorder is not responsible for most schizophrenia cases, but it is responsible for a nonnegligible and increasing proportion.”⁶⁹

Even irregular use of marijuana leads to negative effects. One study found that adolescents who occasionally used marijuana were at greater risk of using illegal drugs and developing alcohol and tobacco dependence.⁷⁰ Another study found that those who started using marijuana in their teens experienced a drop in IQ, even if usage was not regular, while nonusers saw a small rise in IQ. These researchers also found that the greater the cannabis use, the greater the decline, with losses of up to eight IQ points.⁷¹

To make matters worse, the IQ decline for those who began consuming marijuana as teens persisted even after drug use stopped.⁷² Likewise, one study that tracked college students found that those who used marijuana just twice a month were 11% more likely to be “discontinuously enrolled”—to permanently drop out or to leave college for multiple semesters but eventually return— than students who were basically nonusers.⁷³ Additionally, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine found an association “between cannabis use and increased incidence of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts, with a higher incidence among heavier users.”⁷⁴

Not long after the recreational sale of marijuana began in Colorado, Pope Francis prophetically said, “Attempts, however limited, to legalize so-called ‘recreational drugs,’ are not only highly questionable from a legislative standpoint, but they fail to produce desired effects.”⁷⁵ As the pope predicted, legalization has produced unintended, harmful effects. One study that tracked UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital found marijuana-related emergency room visits tripled after the sale of recreational marijuana began in January 2014.⁷⁶ Issues ranged from cannabis hyperemesis syndrome (uncontrolled bouts of vomiting) to acute psychiatric symptoms to cardiovascular problems.⁷⁷ As previously mentioned, marijuana use disorder now enslaves 3.3% of the state’s population, as compared to 1.6% in the early 2000s.⁷⁸ This is not surprising since Coloradans’ cannabis use has increased dramatically since legalization: the latest data show a 26% increase since 2013.⁷⁹ In practice, more people using marijuana inevitably means more addiction.

Increasing cannabis use has also ballooned other problems. Marijuana-related DUIs in the state numbered 676 in 2014 but spiked to 1,513 in 2020.⁸⁰ This is consistent with the finding of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine that “there is substantial evidence of a statistical association between cannabis use and increased risk of motor vehicle crashes.”⁸¹ Tragically, traffic deaths involving drivers who tested positive for marijuana more than doubled from 55 in 2013 to 131 people killed in 2020. Whereas before legalization cannabis-related traffic fatalities made up 11% of all traffic deaths, now they represent 21%.⁸² In a similarly heartrending vein, statistics show 105 Coloradans with marijuana in their systems committed suicide in 2013, whereas in 2019 that number more than doubled to 236 (representing 29% of all suicides, up from 14% in 2013).⁸³ “An analysis of survey data from more than 280,000 young adults ages 18–35 showed that cannabis use was associated with increased risks of thoughts of suicide (suicidal ideation), suicide plan, and suicide attempt.”⁸⁴ It is our hope that the abundance of harmful effects will give even the most ardent defenders of legalization pause.

When the legalization of marijuana is addressed, it is often examined from a purely economic perspective. While this is an insufficient lens—the common good is determined by more than economics—we should be ready to respond to the revenue generation argument. Since the sale of marijuana began in Colorado in January 2014, almost $13.5 billion worth of cannabis products have been purchased.⁸⁵ However, society spends much more than the government collects in taxes once all the related costs are calculated. In Colorado, one study found that “for every dollar gained in tax revenue, Coloradans spent approximately $4.50 to mitigate the effects of legalization,”⁸⁶ after accounting for additional costs in healthcare, crime, traffic accidents and fatalities, environmental impacts, and more.⁸⁷ That astonishing ratio factored in cost savings from the sharp decrease in marijuana-related arrests and court cases after decriminalization.⁸⁸ Sadly, it seems that states are unmoved by these numbers, seemingly because they get all the tax revenue while many of the monetary burdens are spread across society (viz., hospitals, employers, family members, and, of course, the drug users themselves).

Another common argument is that legalization hurts the illegal market for drugs. While this seems intuitively correct, in practice it does not pan out. Both Colorado and California have seen massive growth in the marijuana underground market since legalization.⁸⁹ Ironically, the government’s efforts to enforce quality control and its collection of various taxes and fees raise the cost of legal cannabis products, thereby fueling a black market that can undercut licensed dispensaries by selling much cheaper products.⁹⁰

In California, where the problem is most acute due to abundant land and favorable weather, it is estimated that its illegal dispensaries outnumber legal sellers by almost 3-to-1.⁹¹ In a sad and unexpected twist, the state’s legalization of marijuana has caused a dramatic increase in the number of illegal marijuana farms, with commensurate violence, worker exploitation, pollution, and death.⁹² The situation became so bad that the state legislature approved a $100 million grant program, which some have characterized as a bailout, to help the struggling legal businesses compete with and drive out illegal market growers and sellers.⁹³ At the time of this writing, “there are no signs” that any of California’s efforts and reforms have “slowed down the black market.”⁹⁴

As more states legalize marijuana, we are seeing the inevitable push to legalize other drugs, such as psychedelic mushrooms.⁹⁵ The typical argument is that if an adult’s drug use does not hurt anyone else, she should be free to do as she wishes without government interference. But as the Pontifical Council for the Family notes, “In effect, what is legal is regarded as normal, and therefore as moral. Legalizing drugs does not as such liberalize the product, it instead legitimizes the reasons that lead to its consumption.”⁹⁶ When a drug is illegal, it deters a certain percentage of the population from using it, and that is a good thing; both the individual and society are shielded from the deleterious effects of that use. As evidenced by the 26% increase in Coloradans’ marijuana consumption cited above, more people will use a drug when it is legal, which increases the aggregate harm to society. A “live and let live” attitude refuses to acknowledge that any drug use that hurts the individual inevitably harms society as well. The monetary harm is obvious: lower worker productivity, increased absenteeism,⁹⁷ and the annual $40 billion cost of rehabilitation programs,⁹⁸ to name a few of the financial burdens imposed on those not using drugs. But the qualitative harm is just as real and even more taxing: the psychological and emotional toll incurred by the drug user’s family and friends.

Perhaps nowhere are the tragic effects of drug use more evident than the opioid epidemic. This class of drugs, which includes prescription painkillers such as morphine and oxycodone as well as the illegal drug heroin, is highly addictive.⁹⁹ So many fatal and nonfatal overdoses occurred as opioids became widely prescribed that the Department of Health and Human Services declared it a public health emergency in 2017.¹⁰⁰ “According to the CDC, an estimated 110,511 people in the United States died of drug overdoses and poisonings in 2022, with almost 70 percent of those deaths involving synthetic opioids like fentanyl.”¹⁰¹

Fentanyl, which is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine,¹⁰² is the latest heartbreaking development in the opioid crisis and is considered “the single deadliest drug threat our nation has ever encountered,” by Anne Milgram, Administrator at the DEA.¹⁰³ The numbers support such a bold statement: synthetic opioids, but primarily fentanyl, were the main cause of the six-fold increase in fatal overdoses 2015 to 2020.¹⁰⁴ Since the drug is incredibly powerful, it is extremely easy to overdose (especially for the occasional drug user whose tolerance is low) and quickly leads to addiction.

Part of what is driving the spike in deaths is the practice of traffickers to lace other drugs with fentanyl because it is cheap to produce and incredibly strong, meaning less of the drug is needed to produce the desired high. This is particularly heinous because there is no way to tell by sight, taste, or smell that the drugs have been laced, often resulting in users unknowingly consuming fentanyl.¹⁰⁵ The practice is so widespread that some states give away free fentanyl test strips so users can check their illegally purchased drugs before consumption.¹⁰⁶ Once experienced, the high of fentanyl is so powerful that it often becomes “allconsuming” and drug users then knowingly risk overdose to feel it again.¹⁰⁷

We have also witnessed the tragic results of Colorado’s decision to reclassify fentanyl possession from a felony to a misdemeanor in 2019. Although well-meaning, one study estimates that the change in classification caused at least 600 additional deaths, even when accounting for the upward trend of fentanyl use in the previous years.¹⁰⁸ The tragic story of this deadly drug reinforces Pope Francis’ words, “Drug addiction is an evil, and with evil there can be no yielding or compromise.”¹⁰⁹

When it comes to rehabilitation, we encounter a “contradiction of the modern world, which trivializes a phenomenon and then attempts to deal with its negative consequences.”¹¹⁵ While the Church has and will always proclaim the truth about the dangers of drugs, we gladly join in society’s efforts to aid those suffering in addiction. We follow the example of Jesus who came not to be served, but to serve,¹¹⁶ and sought out the sick.¹¹⁷ While only a fraction of Catholics will ever work in drug rehab facilities, all of us can work to end the stigma that surrounds addiction by recognizing that it is a disease, being compassionate and honest with those who use drugs, and refusing to define anyone by their drug addiction but instead by their God-given identity. Additionally, many of us will support a loved one through the excruciating trial of addiction or provide encouragement to someone taking on that role. By leaning on Christ, we can be a source of strength and hope for others as we “rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer.”¹¹⁸

Wine is grouped with bread and oil as food that is cultivated for man’s benefit and a genuine good. This may be surprising to some Christians, since we live in a culture filled with alcohol abuse, but alcohol is not meant to function primarily as a drug. Historically, it has been enjoyed not only for the taste, but also for its hydrating, nutritional, and medicinal properties.¹²² We see this idea echoed in Scripture when St. Paul tells St. Timothy, “Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.”¹²³ This is one of many places where alcohol is presented as a gift from God in Scripture.¹²⁴ Additionally, Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana¹²⁵ bolsters the case that alcohol is a good that we may moderately enjoy not just for health but also for mirth. Lastly and most powerfully, that Jesus chooses to change bread and wine into His very Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity makes clear that both substances must be good in themselves.¹²⁶

But just because alcohol is good does not mean it cannot be abused. Scripture is rife with condemnation of drunkenness.¹²⁷ St. Paul is clear: “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.”¹²⁸ Too much alcohol causes the same problems as drugs: it diminishes man’s reason, lowers his inhibitions, and inclines him toward actions he would not commit when sober. It also wreaks similar havoc upon society in terms of accidents, deaths, addiction, and economic costs.¹²⁹ Thus the Catechism encourages moderation: “The virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine.”¹³⁰ Temperance, the balanced use of created goods and healthy regulation of desires,¹³¹ enables us to follow St. Paul’s dictum, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”¹³²

Another meaningful difference is the intention. Although alcohol chemically affects the body, this alteration is not the primary reason most people drink. On the other hand, the main reason people use drugs is for their effects on the body. We know this based on consumption rates. The average American has about 3.5 drinks per week and fewer than 1 in 5 admitted to sometimes drinking “too much.”¹³³ In other words, the typical consumption of alcohol is not binge drinking.¹³⁴

The limited research available on THC consumption suggests the typical marijuana user consumes 40mg of THC at a time.¹³⁵ It is estimated that 2.5–5mg of THC is the equivalent of one alcoholic drink,¹³⁶ meaning the average marijuana user is consuming the equivalent of 8–16 drinks every time he gets high. Even if we use High Times’ modest calculations that users “inhale about 10 to 30mg of THC every time they get high,”¹³⁷ that is still as many 6–12 drinks. Clearly Americans are using alcohol and marijuana very differently, since “the normal use of alcohol is geared toward nutrition, hydration, and appreciative enjoyment. Recreational use of marijuana is geared toward emotional intoxication.”¹³⁸

Absolutely not! The Church recognizes pleasure as a gift from God. We can experience both bodily and spiritual pleasures, and we are free to do so temperately according to our state of life. In fact, we inherently know something is wrong if our lives become devoid of pleasure. As St. Thomas Aquinas notes, “No human being can long remain pleasureless and sad…. And the philosopher, Aristotle, accordingly says in the Ethics that those who cannot enjoy spiritual pleasures turn their endeavors for the most part to bodily pleasures.”¹³⁹ This is in keeping with what was noted earlier about the typical flight to drugs: when a person doesn’t experience spiritual joys (like peace, love, and communion with Christ), which are longer lasting but more difficult to obtain, he will tend toward bodily pleasures (like food, drink, and drugs), which are more accessible but short-lived. Additionally, he will be tempted to pursue bodily pleasures to excess to make up for the lack of spiritual pleasures in his life. Pursuing more important goods first helps us maintain a healthy balance where we can enjoy pleasure without being consumed by it.

Sadly, man’s history shows how easily we are consumed by pleasure when it is sought as an end. Think of the pleasure of eating food. Food is primarily meant to nourish our bodies, but it also tastes good and feels good to consume. Someone who ate solely to enjoy the pleasure of consumption and then promptly threw it all up to eat some more would rightly be regarded as a glutton for making the pleasure of eating an end unto itself. Pleasure is good, but only as long as it is ordered among other goods. We can appreciate the bodily pleasure that is experienced when drinking alcohol, for instance. But if that becomes the primary reason for consumption instead of an enjoyable side effect, drinking may very quickly become an addiction as pleasure becomes more important than temperance. Ironically, the thing that once gave pleasure becomes an uncontrollable source of pain and shame. This is true of all addictions, be it drugs, alcohol, masturbation, etc. As C.S. Lewis quipped, “Put first things first and we get second things thrown in: put second things first and we lose both first and second things.”¹⁴⁰

Yes. The Church has always supported the practice of medicine when it is in keeping with the moral law and views it as an avenue through which God heals. As mentioned previously, the Catechism makes an explicit exception for drugs used for therapeutic purposes.¹⁴¹ Psycho-pharmaceuticals, broadly grouped as antipsychotics, sedatives, and anti-depressants,¹⁴² may be used medicinally to help restore health to the body.

How can the same drug be permitted in one case but immoral in another? As the Catechism notes, the morality of a human act depends on the action itself, the intention, and the circumstances.¹⁴³ A close examination reveals that the intention behind therapeutic drugs is the exact opposite of recreational drugs: the therapeutic use of drugs seeks to return an unhealthy body back to its healthy state, whereas recreational use alters a normally functioning body solely for pleasure, potentially endangering its health. The former is in keeping with man’s good, whereas the latter is not.

Even so, the risks associated with therapeutic drugs are serious, and therefore such drugs should be taken with medical supervision and with the patient’s informed consent.¹⁴⁴

As of this writing, the FDA has approved four marijuana-based medications. Epidiolex, which is used to treat seizures, only contains CBD, and therefore does not cause a high. Marinol, Cesamet, and Syndros are used to treat the side effects of chemotherapy and do contain THC.

As with any therapeutic drug, we should ask: 1) What are the risks? 2) What are the benefits? 3) Is there a safer drug that is just as effective? After discussing these questions with a physician, one could morally take any of the FDA approved marijuana-based drugs.

People often refer to medical marijuana broadly without realizing it is specific to the four FDA-approved drugs. They feel it is acceptable to self-dose with marijuana to treat symptoms for which the drug has not been approved. Unfortunately, much of the research on cannabis and related substances has been plagued by low quality and insufficiently broad studies.¹⁴⁵ For instance, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine found “limited” or “insufficient evidence” for the effectiveness of cannabis or cannabinoids on twenty health issues.¹⁴⁶ This included several of the ailments marijuana is most commonly used to “treat,” including anxiety and glaucoma. Their review of the research found only four health issues for which there was “conclusive” or “moderate evidence” of the effectiveness of cannabis or cannabinoids.¹⁴⁷ We hope that in the coming years, more rigorous study will be undertaken.

As far as medical marijuana is genuinely effective, it should be treated like any other medication. This means, first, that there should be limits on how much is consumed daily. Even mild pain relievers like acetaminophen cap the number of pills one should take in twentyfour hours. Likewise, any doctor recommending medical marijuana should set a daily dosage limit. Self-dosing opens the door to abuse and addiction. Second, medical marijuana should be consumed like a medication; it should not be smoked or turned into edibles. It distorts the understanding of the drug as medicine (as well as the dosage) to consume medical marijuana via common recreational means. Third, one’s intention must be examined. It would be morally illicit to use medical marijuana as a mask for recreational use. Similarly, neither should it be used as an escape from any of the existential issues enumerated in Section III. Like any other medication, medical marijuana should be used with the intention of trying to restore health to the body.

The desire to feel close to God is good and is a grace. Every human being is encouraged to seek His face¹⁴⁸ and find the happiness that only comes from union with the Lord. The trouble with drug use is that it is not a means to an authentic experience of the divine. Rather, it merely simulates the feelings that often accompany genuine religious experiences. In other words, the brain can be manipulated to create artificial feelings of closeness to God, but that only produces an imitation of the real thing. It is as imaginary as any other hallucinatory phenomena that accompany psychedelic use.

God is a Person who desires to be in relationship with us. Drugs treat Him like a mere object that can be controlled for one’s personal pleasure. There is no technique that can force the God of the universe to do anything; He certainly cannot be manipulated into making Himself felt or known through drugs.

We are encouraged to seek the Lord in humility, turning our hearts and minds to Him in prayer.¹⁴⁹ This may result in a felt experience of God but even when it does not, he hears our prayer and is working for our good. The Sacraments are another primary way to encounter God. Since Christ instituted them, they are a trustworthy means of sharing in the divine life.¹⁵⁰ This is most especially true in the Eucharist, wherein we receive Jesus Himself.

Finally, we can “practice the presence of God,” drawing our attention back to the Lord throughout the day. In this way, we discover God’s constant presence, learning to be with the One who is always with us. Simply lifting our hearts to the Lord in gratitude, even with brief outcries like, “Jesus, I love you,” “Come Holy Spirit,” “Father I love you, thank you for the beauty of creation,” can bring us into union with God.

There may be the atypical marijuana user who only smokes the equivalent of one or two alcoholic drinks. Even if it is legal, we would advise against it. Instead, we would ask what is driving her to marijuana use? Is it to feel good? There are safer and healthier ways to experience pleasure. Is it to relax? “Cannabis can sedate, but it cannot bring peace. It can tranquilize, but it cannot give tranquility.”¹⁵¹ Is it to escape from reality? We would encourage her to turn to Jesus and allow Him to transform her reality so that she does not feel the need to escape. Certainly, it is not an easy road, but it is well worth the effort.

There is no pleasure, joy, or connection experienced during a high that cannot also be experienced without drugs.¹⁵² If we only rarely experience these goods when sober, we are better served turning to Jesus so He may heal whatever is preventing them in our lives. Jesus promises us abundant life and He desperately wants us to experience it! May we never settle for less.