There is no denying that people can justify using drugs. The mind is a powerful thing – it can justify drug use for anything from medical need to religious purposes.
As one of the most popular drugs used throughout the world is cannabis, whether it is ingested or inhaled it is used for a wide range of purposes.
In fact, there are people around the world who have been using it for thousands of years for religious and spiritual purposes. In the Old World, cannabis was believed to help hypnotize people.
The first documented usage for religious and spiritual purposes dates back to 2000 B.C. in India. Historians also suggest it's use in the 2nd and 5th Century BCE when it was used for ceremonial practices by the Scythians.
Rasta Man
In today’s modern culture, the religious and spiritual use of cannabis is not as relevant as it once was in the Old World, yet there are some groups who still employ it's use as common practice. One of the largest groups who follow this type of cannabis usage is known as the Rastafarian movement. The Rastafarians formed in the 1930s in Jamaica and they worship the Emperor of Ethiopia. They believe that smoking cannabis increases the natural consciousness, which aids their need for sacramental and sanctifying rites. Rastafarians believe that smoking marijuana helps them stay close to the truthful and faithful way of life that they seek.
Even though religious and spiritual use of cannabis is not as popular as it once was, that has in no way diminished the overall popularity of the drug itself.