He is the first North American pontiff to be elected leader of the Catholic Church
Despite cannabis being decriminalized in Thailand in 2022, the National Office of Buddhism banned monks from smoking or growing cannabis in their temples, the only exception being if it's used for medical purposes.
Santo Daime followers, known as Daimistas, refer to cannabis as Santa Maria, but only one specific group is known to use it as part of their rituals. This was a group who split from the main sect in the 1970s. The group of Daimistas who followed Padrinho Sebastião ascribed to the use of marijuana, but most Daimistas regard it as a drug.
Santo Daime is a relatively recent religion. It dates back to the early 20th century and was founded by Raimundo Irineu Serra in Brazil. Santo Daime combines elements of folk Catholicism and Indian shamanism. Followers are mostly known for engaging in ayahuasca (psychedelic) ceremonies, but cannabis is also used as a form of spiritual guidance.
The Zend Avesta also mentions a divine plant called haoma or sauma. The botanical identification of this plant is still up for debate. While some believe it to be a variant of Ephedra, or indeed a reference to an hallucinogenic plant or mushroom, scholar B.L. Mukherjee suggests it may have been marijuana.
This ancient religion predates both Christianity and Islam. The Zend Avesta (a sacred book) mentions marijuana in the volumes known as the Vendidad. The book calls bhang a “good narcotic.”
Shinto priests and followers use marijuana in a number of contexts. Those who follow this Japanese religion believe taima (marijuana) has purifying properties and can ward off evil spirits.
The cult of Santa Muerte is not a religion as such, but a saint from Mexican folk Catholicism with an increasingly large following in the country. Blowing smoke (including marijuana) on a shrine is common practice among worshippers.
Taoism is another Eastern religion that has been linked to the use of cannabis. Deity Magu has been associated with cannabis and is even known as the “goddess of hemp.” The Taoist deity is considered the protector of women and the goddess of nutrition, healing, and longevity.
Sources: (Grunge) (BBC)
See also: Everything you need to know about CBD
The fifth of the Five Precepts of Buddhism says: "Refrain from intoxicants that cloud the mind." The Dalai Lama went as far as calling the recreational use of marijuana “poison” in an interview. He did, however, say that medical use of the plant is acceptable.
Santa Muerte is one of the country's most popular narco saints, and her connection with the underworld and drug cartels make the use of marijuana a common presence during worship.
The Sikh Rehat Maryada (Sikh code of conduct) says that “a Sikh must not take hemp (cannabis), opium, liquor, tobacco, in short any intoxicant.” However, the use of marijuana is particularly prevalent in the Nihang Sikh community. The Nihangs, also known as Akalis or "the immortals," are a group of Sikh warriors. Consumption of marijuana was used particularly during battles.
Cannabis leaves are consumed in what the Nihangs call shaheedi degh, bhang, sukha, or panj pattey. Though the use of marijuana has been debated, since the Nihangs haven’t been involved in battles for many years.
It’s believed that Hindu Indian laborers introduced the use of ganja to Jamaican Rastas in the 19th century. Rastas smoke marijuana for sacramental reasons and not recreational ones. They do so ritualistically, as part of their religion.
Whether marijuana is kosher has been debated by many rabbis. Some claim that it's okay if it’s smoked and not eaten, while others only consider medical marijuana kosher. Recreational use of marijuana in Israel was decriminalized in 2019, but not for everyone in every circumstance. The use of marijuana has been allowed for medical purposes since the 1990s.
If there is one pro-pot religion in the world, that is Rastafarianism. Rastas smoke ganja, but they also use marijuana in other ways, including in cooking and as medicine.
Some scholars interpret parts of ancient Jewish scriptures like the Talmud and Hebrew Bible as references to cannabis. Historically, Jewish people have consumed marijuana for thousands of years. So much so that in 2020 a study found evidence that ancient Israelites burned cannabis as part of their religious rituals. This was found in a 2,700-year-old temple in Tel Arad, Israel.
Haydariyya Sufis then spread the use of hashish south from the Khorasan area (present-day Iran and Afghanistan) to Syria and Egypt. Popular ways to consume hash include smoking through a pipe called the nafir-e-vahdat ("the trumpet of unity"), and mixing it with yogurt, which they call dugh-e vahdat (“drink of unity").
While Prophet Muhammad doesn’t explicitly mention marijuana in the Quran, the use of wine and other intoxicants is forbidden. As such, it’s safe to assume marijuana is also considered haram (forbidden).
History tells us that Persian and Iraqi Muslims started using hashish around the late 800s, but it was banned in the 13th century by the Mamluk Sultan Baybars. Cannabis use is still forbidden to this day.
Unlike other religions, you will actually find references to marijuana and its use in Hindu texts. The world's third-largest religion has had a long history with the plant that is considered by the Atharvaveda (a religious text) as holy.
Unlike traditional Islam, Sufism, also known as Tasawwuf, is a form of Islamic mysticism or asceticism. The use of hashish among Sufis dates back to the 12th century and the Sufi leader Sheikh Haydar of the Haydariyya order.
Hindus have used marijuana for millennia. Deity Shiva himself is said to have consumed the holy plant in the form of a drink called bhang. Indeed, there is an exception in the Indian law on drugs that allow for marijuana leaves to be sold and consumed as bhang.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormon Church, condemns the use of tobacco products, so smoking marijuana is also a violation of the Word of Wisdom (Mormon laws of health). The main reason is because it can lead to addiction.
And how about medical use of marijuana? Well, the Church has come to accept its use if prescribed by a doctor. Though marijuana cannot be smoked. And recreational use of marijuana is strictly forbidden.
Some theologians interpret therapeutic use as including medically-prescribed marijuana, but the interpretation is not universally accepted. What is universally accepted amongst Catholics, however, is that recreational use of marijuana is a no-no.
This religion, founded in the 19th century by Baháʼu'lláh, does not address marijuana specifically in their holy book, the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. However it prohibits "any substance that induceth sluggishness and torpor."
'Abdu'l-Baha (Baháʼu'lláh's son) said that smoking hash will interfere in a person’s enlightenment and relationship with God. Shoghi Effendi, the grandson and successor of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, also advised against the use of marijuana products, the exception being if it’s prescribed by a doctor for medical use.
The Bible does not specifically mention marijuana and its use, but the Catechism of the Catholic Church, approved in 1992, is pretty clear about it. Paragraph 2291 reads: “The use of drugs inflicts very grave damage on human health and life. Their use, except on strictly therapeutic grounds, is a grave offense.”
While recreational use of marijuana is largely forbidden amongst Muslims, in 2018 the Fiqh Council of North America issued a statement on the conditions upon which the use of medical marijuana would be permissible; namely it’s okay as long as it does “not intoxicate a user when consumed in large amounts.”
According to historical records, we have been eating, drinking, and smoking cannabis for thousands of years. And guess what? The psychoactive effects of marijuana have caught the attention of many religions, some of which adopted it as a sacrament, while others condemned it due to its properties. Marijuana is often consumed recreationally for the effects of the plant's main psychoactive component, THC. But it also has many other potential benefits, especially when it comes painkilling properties.
More recently, the use of cannabis has been approved for medical purposes, but also decriminalized for general use in many countries. What do religions have to say about it? Click through this gallery to find out.
What do religions say about marijuana?
The most (and least) pot-friendly religions in the world
LIFESTYLE Faith
According to historical records, we have been eating, drinking, and smoking cannabis for thousands of years. And guess what? The psychoactive effects of marijuana have caught the attention of many religions, some of which adopted it as a sacrament, while others condemned it due to its properties. Marijuana is often consumed recreationally for the effects of the plant's main psychoactive component, THC. But it also has many other potential benefits, especially when it comes painkilling properties.
More recently, the use of cannabis has been approved for medical purposes, but also decriminalized for general use in many countries. What do religions have to say about it? Click through this gallery to find out.