Cannabis and Religion: The Spiritual Benefit of Smoking
As a plant with mind-altering properties, it is well-known that cannabis has been used in various spiritual and religious practices since ancient times. But you might wonder whether cannabis has been used in such practices because it really enhances spiritual experiences, or is it all just delusionary so to say? In this article, we dwell deeper at the intersection of cannabis, religion and spirituality.
A variety of religious traditions have been associated with the use of cannabis, including Hinduism, Islam, and Rastafarianism, to mention just three. Ancient Israelites also burned marijuana as part of their religious rituals, with traces of smoldered plant material having been found in a 2,700-year-old temple in Tel Arad. THC-containing flower is believed to have been burned to “induce high among worshipers.”
But what does cannabis mean on the spiritual level for the modern man? For the contemporary religious practitioner? Cannabis is primarily used for therapeutic and recreational means, however, we cannot neglect the fact that a lot of people reach out for it because of the spiritual value it gives.
Religious or spiritual cannabis users often claim that thanks to cannabis they are able to turn inward and better connect with the greater energy force within. Some users also combine cannabis with other spiritual practices such as meditation to make a maximum use of the ‘high’ they get from consuming the psychedelic herb.
Spiritual Reasons for Cannabis Use May Be More Widespread Than We Think
There are religions and spiritual movements around the world that require followers to achieve a greater psychoactive effect, and where cannabis is a commonly used tool for that because of its ability to help focus inward and boost feelings of euphoria.
There’s not too much research that looks into the relationship between cannabis and religion, but at least one study has looked at how contemporary adults employ cannabis for spiritual pursuits. A study from 2021, simply titled “Spiritual Benefit from Cannabis” which has been published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, reveals that more than half of interviewed Americans who use weed do find a spiritual value in it.
As part of the study, researchers asked 1087 respondents (with a median age of 38.9) to fill up a questionnaire assessing their use of cannabis and other substances, as well as spiritual and psychological characteristics.
The majority of the sample (63%) was free of cannabis use disorder, and the study results “suggest that spiritual motives for cannabis use may be widespread.”
“Spiritual benefit from cannabis was reported by 66.1% of the sample, and 5.5% reported it had sometimes been a spiritual hindrance,” the researchers wrote.
Those survey respondents who reported spiritual benefit from weed differentiated significantly from those who did not on several outcome variables. Expansiveness motivation, non-theistic daily spiritual experience, meditation frequency, and mindfulness contributed the most to differentiating the two groups.
The fantastic interior of the International Church of Cannabis in Denver, CO
How Is Cannabis Used in Spiritual Practices?
‘Spiritual’ tokers are more likely to say that use of cannabis enhances their ability to be more in tune with their body and in contact with a greater force within themselves, or even in contact with other dimensions and realms of existence. Oftentimes, these users couple the intake of cannabis with other spiritual practices such as mantra, meditation, etc. Rastafarians are a good example of that - they do use cannabis in prayer, meditation, or while preparing warm tea and concoctions.
How do you use cannabis in your spiritual practice is also a question that pops up on Quora. Here’s what one Quora user wrote about her cannabis pills use, which she says is two-fold - one part spiritual and one part for mental health. The user compares much of her experience to insight meditation: “Two sativa [pills] is quite powerful. It hits like a punch. I use this once a week when I want to examine my beliefs, feelings, thoughts and behavior,” the user says. “It transforms the pain I normally feel from doing so as well as allowing me to look at these things from a different, kinder perspective (such as meditation is supposed to allow, but is normally difficult for me).”
Another one wrote the following: “Marijuana does help in connecting us to other dimensions and spirituality is one of them. It should be done in [a] controlled manner, as people, family and relations around you are important too and if you will move away from this materialistic world you may lose a lot of buddies.”
More spiritual effects from cannabis use mentioned by the Quora users include achieving euphoria, peace, and enlightenment. Although, even here, not everyone is on the same page. “Doing drugs, smoking pot, doesn’t make you more present right here, right now, in this reality. Doing drugs, smoking pot, doesn’t make you present at all, in fact it does the exact opposite: it renders you unconscious,” goes a comment from someone who is obviously a cannabis opponent.
Modern Churches Where Cannabis is Sacrament Do Exist
In the age of modernity everyone is free to believe in what they feel closest to their heart and who they are. Liberal times, liberal choices. In that context, it just might be wrong to dismiss spiritual experiences from cannabis as self-delusion. It might be a very individualistic claim to make, because non-believers in major world religions can also make the same claim: that believing in one God, whoever he is - is also an act of self-delusion.
If you thought that there wasn’t a church where cannabis has raised to the level of holy sacrament - you are also wrong. One of the first cannabis-exclusive churches in the U.S. is the Denver-based International Church of Cannabis, which was established by a group of friends who simply smoked weed in the beginning and ended up having fantastical conversations. The church opened all too symbolically on April 20, 2016, and it now serves as a worship place for the followers of the brand new religion ‘Elevationism’ - dedicated to the spirituality of cannabis.
Does this church have public service, and what can you expect if you visit? The Denver church is open to the public every day and there you can attend the Beyond Laser Light Show, a 360-degree, audio-visual immersive religious cannabis experience. “It begins with a seven-minute guided meditation and contemplative journey through the wisdom of the ages, followed by a 30-minute psychedelic light show set to classic rock-and-roll songs,” as noted on the website Atlas Obscura. Let’s admit, it does sound like a good destination for any cannabis tourist, who can just visit without needing to convert.
End thoughts? If believing in the spiritual experience of cannabis is something that makes you a better person and more in-tune with your inner self and the world around you, it probably doesn’t matter as much if it’s self-delusion or not. One can safely assume that there is nothing wrong with being a follower of any religion or a believer in any principle which helps you become a better version of yourself and always remain respectful to other people and those different from you.
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Stephen Andrews
