Comments on: Plea could send Arizona ‘Marijuana Church’ founders to prison

By: The Night Hawk

The Night Hawk — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 09:57:44 +0000

I agree with the above statement. Any way you look at it somebody is getting the shit end of the stick.
Anybody “should” be able to smoke marijuana with out fear of persecution no matter what they do or no not believe. Unfortunately the world isn’t fair. Why can’t we just make the world fair?!

By: "Radical" Russ

"Radical" Russ — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 17:33:22 +0000

You’re missing my point. Of course Native Americans deserve the right to use peyote… as do I. I’m not advocating for taking away anyone’s religious right to use drugs, I’m saying that advocating ONLY for a religious right to use drugs tramples on my rights.

I do not have a hard time understanding that people believe strongly in this-or-that. I’m saying that belief in a fairy tale is no stronger justification for one’s natural rights than disbelief.

Look, can you not see the absurdity? A peyote-eating Native American walks into court and says, “I believe that the Great Spirit gave us the sacred cactus so we could each find our spirit guide in the Happy Hunting Grounds,” he’s not a criminal, because he has a sincere First Amendment religious belief. But if a pot-smoking atheist walks in and says, “I believe the Earth evolved cannabis to help us handle the stress of sentience,” that dude is going to prison.

How is it that the religious belief is an excuse to get high, despite the belief being absolutely unprovable in court, while the secular belief is rejected as an excuse to get high, despite the belief being provable in court?

I believe in the appropriateness of human cannabis use as strongly or more strongly than any religious believer, but because I don’t telepathically commune with an Invisible Sky Wizard, my beliefs don’t count?

By: Chris Werner

Chris Werner — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 16:53:41 +0000

Do you also feel that Native Americans should not have the right to use peyote in religion because it creates discrimination against non-believers of their faith? Use of peyote outside of religion still remains illegal for Native Americans and members of the Native American Church, could it not stand true that cannabis use IS for religion, but that not all cannabis use is. I think you have a hard time understanding that some people do believe strongly and are not just trying to use the first amendment to defend themselves against the unjust cannabis laws.

You do not need to be in any religion (atheists included) to see clearly when someone with severe muscle spasms (MS, CP) uses cannabis and is severely relieved from their pain and suffering, to the point of visible seeing the person no longer having shaking spasms, to realize that cannabis does provide a healing remedy. If you believe cannabis has any healing property, you are a believer in cannabis healing like it or not.

As cannabis healing is main in these religions (especially Rasta), to say you don’t believe in one level or another is like saying you don’t believe in Christian religion, but do believe that the sacramental wine brings those who drink it in union with Jesus. Doesn’t make much sense that way does it.

By: Urb Age

Urb Age — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:40:11 +0000

it is insane to think that if a California cancer survivor and a Jamaican Rasta share a joint with me, you’d have a “patient”, a “believer”, and a “criminal”. It is insane to say I don’t get the right to smoke weed because I’m too healthy and don’t worship.

Yeap, that really is a good one!!!!!!