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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Proposed Drug War Solution	Carol	Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Question: Brother, perhaps you can settle an issue I have been discussing with a friend. We have been talking about how the drug war is out of control down in Mexico and is spilling across the border. The violence and social breakdown is just demonic and must be stopped. My friend says she agrees with a priest who promotes the increasingly popular argument that drugs should be legalized. The thinking is that legalizing these drugs, at least pot, will dismantle the violent cartels and the drugs can be taxed and regulated. I say that recreational use of such drugs is sinful, and to make them legal would be morally problematic. And I think legalization would make it way more likely that people would experiment with drugs. My friend pointed out that alcohol used to be illegal, and that regulation wiped out organized crime connected with bootlegging. What do you think?
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM Dear Carol: Well, it is a popular notion to compare alcohol with recreational drugs. This is a false comparison. Alcohol has a legitimate social context. One can drink alcohol without intoxication. Thus, it can be an element to social interaction without getting in the way or damaging that social interaction. This is not true of recreational drugs. Recreation drugs have but one purpose and one effect -- intoxication. In addition, recreational drugs do not work as an element of social interaction. If drug users get together it is not for true social interaction but only to get intoxicated by the drug. Those who use social setting as an excuse to become intoxicated with alcohol suffer from the same sin. Intoxication is sin (Gal 5:19-20; Eph 5:18) The Catechism states: 2290 The virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine. Those incur grave guilt who, by drunkenness or a love of speed, endanger their own and others' safety on the road, at sea, or in the air. 2291 The use of drugs inflicts very grave damage on human health and life. Their use, except on strictly therapeutic grounds, is a grave offense. Clandestine production of and trafficking in drugs are scandalous practices. They constitute direct co-operation in evil, since they encourage people to practices gravely contrary to the moral law. Because these recreational drugs have only intoxication purpose and effect to legalize it is to legalize sin. In addition, the ends do not justify the means. The Catechism states: 1756 It is therefore an error to judge the morality of human acts by considering only the intention that inspires them or the circumstances (environment, social pressure, duress or emergency, etc.) which supply their context. There are acts which, in and of themselves, independently of circumstances and intentions, are always gravely illicit by reason of their object; such as blasphemy and perjury, murder and adultery. One may not do evil so that good may result from it. 1759 "An evil action cannot be justified by reference to a good intention" (cf. St. Thomas Aquinas, Dec. praec. 6). The end does not justify the means. The Bottomline is that it would be a moral evil to legalize these drugs even it legalizing them reduced the violence (which it would not do, by the way). Violence will still happen in the drug trade due to the money it generates. Even the Mafia involves itself in legal businesses. God bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Proposed Drug War Solution

Carol

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Question:

Brother, perhaps you can settle an issue I have been discussing with a friend.

We have been talking about how the drug war is out of control down in Mexico and is spilling across the border. The violence and social breakdown is just demonic and must be stopped. My friend says she agrees with a priest who promotes the increasingly popular argument that drugs should be legalized. The thinking is that legalizing these drugs, at least pot, will dismantle the violent cartels and the drugs can be taxed and regulated.

I say that recreational use of such drugs is sinful, and to make them legal would be morally problematic. And I think legalization would make it way more likely that people would experiment with drugs. My friend pointed out that alcohol used to be illegal, and that regulation wiped out organized crime connected with bootlegging. What do you think?

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM

Dear Carol:

Well, it is a popular notion to compare alcohol with recreational drugs. This is a false comparison. Alcohol has a legitimate social context. One can drink alcohol without intoxication. Thus, it can be an element to social interaction without getting in the way or damaging that social interaction. This is not true of recreational drugs.

Recreation drugs have but one purpose and one effect -- intoxication. In addition, recreational drugs do not work as an element of social interaction. If drug users get together it is not for true social interaction but only to get intoxicated by the drug.

Those who use social setting as an excuse to become intoxicated with alcohol suffer from the same sin.

Intoxication is sin (Gal 5:19-20; Eph 5:18)

The Catechism states:
2290 The virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine. Those incur grave guilt who, by drunkenness or a love of speed, endanger their own and others' safety on the road, at sea, or in the air.
2291 The use of drugs inflicts very grave damage on human health and life. Their use, except on strictly therapeutic grounds, is a grave offense. Clandestine production of and trafficking in drugs are scandalous practices. They constitute direct co-operation in evil, since they encourage people to practices gravely contrary to the moral law.

Because these recreational drugs have only intoxication purpose and effect to legalize it is to legalize sin.

In addition, the ends do not justify the means. The Catechism states:

1756 It is therefore an error to judge the morality of human acts by considering only the intention that inspires them or the circumstances (environment, social pressure, duress or emergency, etc.) which supply their context. There are acts which, in and of themselves, independently of circumstances and intentions, are always gravely illicit by reason of their object; such as blasphemy and perjury, murder and adultery. One may not do evil so that good may result from it.
1759 "An evil action cannot be justified by reference to a good intention" (cf. St. Thomas Aquinas, Dec. praec. 6). The end does not justify the means.

The Bottomline is that it would be a moral evil to legalize these drugs even it legalizing them reduced the violence (which it would not do, by the way).

Violence will still happen in the drug trade due to the money it generates. Even the Mafia involves itself in legal businesses.

God bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.