Why is a Beneficial Sacred Herb Illegal? (Should cannabis be legalised?)

Member Name: zebra

Product:	Should cannabis be legalised?
Date:	25/07/01 (775 review reads)
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Advantages: It has been used beneficially for thousands of years.

Disadvantages: It is illegal now.

Cannabis is one of the most useful herbs growing on this planet and has been used beneficially for thousands of years. It has been widely cultivated for its seeds and fibre. Its first recorded medicinal use dates back to 5000 B.C.E. in China and it is widely used as a sacred herb for its psychoactive effects in many religious traditions. Unfortunately it has also been made illegal.

In a sacred context it is accepted that elevated states of consciousness and joy are a blessing to be enjoyed. Its first mention in this context is in the Zoroastrian Zend-Avesta (c.600B.C.E). It has been and is used by Sufis, Indians, Hindus, Moslems, Taoists, Buddhists, Rastafarians and others. In fact the Judeo-Christian tradition is almost alone in choosing to use alcohol alone as its preferred ‘drug’ in its rituals. Although it has been argued that cannabis is mentioned in the bible (Ex 30.23).

Although it has been and probably still is the world’s most popular ‘sacred’ herb sometimes people have objected to its use. It was banned by the Inquisition in 1200 C.E. and criminalised in Italy by Pope Innocent VIII. Could it be this that set the current trend?

Drug legislation is a relatively recent introduction – relative that is to the time cannabis has been used beneficially. Legislation started in 1908 with the restriction of the sale of opium. Prior to that the country must have been in an awful state – nearly everybody used these obnoxious substances.

Conan Doyle’s ‘The Sign of Four’ opens with a detailed description of Sherlock Holmes injecting himself with cocaine and when Watson declines to have some Holmes says, “I suppose that its influence is physically a bad one. I find it, however, so transcendently stimulating and clarifying to the mind that its secondary action is a matter of small moment.” Wicked and terrible people everywhere used drugs and unfortunately quite a l
ot of great literature, poetry and art was created under the influence. But we know better now don’t we?

Cannabis was first subjected to legal control in 1925. It may have been because hashish was considered as bad as opium or because it was becoming popular along with the jazz scene, especially with black people, but it was seen to be undesirable. The current legislation, the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, was a consolidation of the previous laws brought in largely it seems to combat the widespread hedonistic use of drugs in the 60’s.

The drugs which are subject to laws are divided into categories depending on how dangerous they were thought to be at the time of legislation. Cannabis is class B. They were also scheduled according to how medically useful they were thought to be – and cannabis along with LSD was considered to have NO therapeutic or medical use.

Although cannabis has been used medically for at least 7000 years it was considered useless at a particular point of time in a so-called scientific age. This reasoning has now been challenged and many people agree that cannabis may after all be useful. It would therefore appear that in this particular instance the ‘law’ was based on incorrect or misinformed information.

The whole purpose of ‘drug laws’ is to control their use because they are addictive or known to cause social harm. The law scheduled cannabis as of no therapeutic or medical use and this has been proved wrong. Is it not possible that the ‘law’ was also wrong in considering that it was addictive or caused social harm? After all one would not expect quite so many religious traditions to hold it sacred if it was as bad as it is made out to be.

This is not to say that cannabis is harmless. But there are a great many other things ‘used’ or ‘abused’ which can cause harm but are not illegal. There are lots of other sacred herbs such as
salvia used for their psychoactive effects. One could enter into the arguments that cigarettes harm, alcohol harms but these are largely irrelevant. Cannabis does not have to be smoked; one can cook with it and use it in various other ways. How it is used is irrelevant. The real issue is one of human rights as others in this category have pointed out.

Criminal law is supposed to represent the ‘moral’ judgement of a community as to how it wants its members to conduct themselves. But legislating morality is a seriously questionable pursuit.

In modern times we have seen several ‘moral’ laws repealed or modified because they proved to be intrinsically wrong in today’s society – for example the witchcraft act, homosexuality, abortion etc. But at the same time new offences are created to cope with what amount to political or social problems without considering the underlying moral principles. Laws have been introduced to suppress raves and new age travellers, begging, homelessness etc.

Cannabis may be harmful but who has the right to say I may not use it because it might harm me? It could be argued that body art harms people – should we legislate against that? If it is my choice to use the herb for medicinal use, not be given some ‘drug’ extracted from it, why should I not be able to? If I want to use it as a sacred herb in a sacred ritual why should this not be allowed? The Christian tradition introduces children to alcohol in its sacraments and alcohol is harmful. Sikhs do not have to wear crash helmets because of their beliefs, although it is the law for everyone else. I suggest that making a herb that is used widely in ‘religious’ rituals illegal is denying people their rights to participate in their chosen tradition in a traditional way and is fundamentally wrong.

Cannabis has been used - not abused - for thousands of years. Since it has been made illegal it has be
en abused. It has been abused by the legislators by turning it into a bogey ‘drug’ which only harms people and has no beneficial effects. It has been abused by drug dealers who spike it with other substances or who supply diesel soaked oxo cubes to unsuspecting punters. Let it be used how it always has been used and perhaps many of the current problems associated with it might disappear.

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