"A Case for Natural Drugs that Require Little or No Processing"

(by Eric)

- Matthew 15:17-18 Jesus said, "Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught [latrine]?  But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man."  I read this as evidence that it is not what you ingest that defiles you (makes you a sinner), but rather the words that come out of your mouth are what defile you because they come forth out of your heart...especially when you curse someone in anyway or judge them or gossip about them, etc.

- Genesis 1:29-30  "And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for for meat (food).  And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air; and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat (food); and it was so."  To me this is evidence that marijuana (an herb bearing seed) is perfectly alright to consume as food.  This also counters ANY statute or law passed that outlaws marijuana and psychedelic plants and fungi.

- Luke 6:36-37 "Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father (God) is also merciful.  Judge not, and ye shall not be judged; condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned; forgive, and ye shall be forgiven."  In other words treat others as you would have them treat you, or better yet, treat them as you would have them treat your mother (I once heard someone say...can't remember who).  Don't go judging anybody, because who do you think you are?  You're no better than anyone you look down upon.

From these verses alone, it’s obvious that the natural drugs God created (marijuana, hallucinogenic mushrooms, peyote, other psychoactive herbs, plants and roots) are okay to eat.  That is not to say that ingesting these drugs should be your main goal of the day throughout your life.  Nor does it necessarily condone smoking any of said herbs, plants, or roots.  But it is interesting to note that there are few (if ANY) reported deaths from lung cancer due to smoking marijuana…tobacco, on the other hand is quite deadly (especially with all the poisons the cigarette companies put into tobacco so it creates a more fulfilling smoke for the smoker.  Having only tried marijuana and mushrooms (not peyote or any other psychoactive substance, but also not counting man-made drugs derived from said substances), I can tell you the high is quite clean…you ease into it, the high becomes quite pleasant (if you have the mind for it) and it leaves with no hang over.  Hence the title…the more a substance needs to be processed before it can be consumed, the more severe the drug’s negative effect on your body’s health. 

But this does not mean that these drugs created by God are free of dangers.  Again, speaking mainly about marijuana and mushrooms, for as many benefits and good feelings they provide, they harbor probably 4 times as many "bad" side effects, which if left unchecked, can lead to bad things in your life.  I believe one of the great benefits of moderate or scarce use of marijuana is the realization that you are more than just your physical body, the use produces a strong euphoria to beginning users, along with confusion, paranoia, and a closer sense of the spiritual self.   Prolonged regular weekly or daily use results in two main negative side effects if left unchecked: 1) less of a high and for less of time duration, and 2) laziness, stagnation in life, staying home more so you can smoke more, etc.  On the other hand, if you remain aware of these potential dangers, you can make sure you get up and take care of personal work, housework, etc, and the high can act as something  that lightens the heart and makes the work more enjoyable to do. 

I would not recommend drug use to anyone in school, or with certain types of professions, but if you are going to try it, be careful, be sure of what you have (I speak of mushrooms...the wrong ones can kill you days and even weeks AFTER ingesting them, and it's a slow, painful, stuff coming out both ends type of organ failure death, so BE CAREFUL and SURE of the source.  For study, go here www.thehawkseye.com where you can learn a little bit about spores and spore prints to identify mushroom species).  I know that I tried marijuana a handful of times in high school and college, but never really got "high" off of it until my late twenties.  I am grateful to God for that, because I knew if I had gotten the "high" back when I was in school, I might not have passed with the grades I have now.  However, the flip side of that statement, is that I wish I could go to school now (in my mid 30s) and be high and study, because the high can make you understand things from a variety of perspectives and in many different ways.  I had a narrow, self-centered perspective in school, like many people, and this limits the mind's ability to expand to other realms of understanding...perspectives.  Mushrooms can be enjoyable, or the most terrifying several hour ordeal of your life depending on your state of mind, cleanliness of the surroundings, your fear, your company or lack thereof.  All influence the high and how you experience it...it can be visual or mental, spiritual or base, fun or terrifying.  The important thing is to pray to God beforehand for protection and for a fun and safe time, and to pray for any insight or knowledge God may want you to take from the experience. 

Also, I don't encourage breaking the law.  Let's work within the system to regain our freedom, our God-given freedom, to enjoy and have dominance over his creation.

- Lent is a Catholic spiritual exercise of self-control and self-restraint of our physical bodies or spiritual bodies lasting 40 days and 40 nights...representing the same number of days Jesus was tempted in the desert as he fasted prior to beginning his ministry.  Many people choose to give something up for this 40 day period, and others prefer to do some sort of charity work or better their personality in some sort of way for the 40 day period.  I think Lent is a perfect exercise we should all engage in.  It creates a sense of self-confidence when we accomplish our 40 day goal.  More importantly, 40 days was known at the time of Jesus as the proper number of days for total purification to take place.  In the book of Acts, we learn that Jesus ascends to heaven to be judged by Almighty God 40 days after his death and Resurrection.  Pertaining to drug use, it is my opinion that if you can go 40 days without a particular drug, then you are not a slave of it, and therefore there is no sin (assuming you aren't spending an excessive amount of money on drugs and aren't hurting anyone or lying to anyone in the process, and if your health is fine).  I think it's a good idea to do this once a year just to reinforce and strengthen your ability to avoid addiction.  In fact, this exercise should be done immediately by anyone who feels they have become addicted to any substance (depending on the severity and nature of your addiction, you may want to first seek medical/holistic attention/advice).