Selling medicine marijuana, is it violate the 5th precept

Buddhist ethical conduct including the Five Precepts (Pañcasikkhāpada), and Eightfold Ethical Conduct (Aṭṭhasīla).
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zolek
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Selling medicine marijuana, is it violate the 5th precept

Post by zolek »

Hi,

I've just wondering if people working for a legal marijuana dispensary have violated the 5th precept ? What makes it different from selling alcohol is that alcohol is clearly intoxicants, while in this case it's for medical uses only. What do you think ?

Much metta,
zolek
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LonesomeYogurt
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Re: Selling medicine marijuana, is it violate the 5th precept

Post by LonesomeYogurt »

Marijuana is an intoxicant and thus selling it is a violation of the Buddha's prescription for right livelihood.
Gain and loss, status and disgrace,
censure and praise, pleasure and pain:
these conditions among human beings are inconstant,
impermanent, subject to change.

Knowing this, the wise person, mindful,
ponders these changing conditions.
Desirable things don’t charm the mind,
undesirable ones bring no resistance.

His welcoming and rebelling are scattered,
gone to their end,
do not exist.
- Lokavipatti Sutta

Stuff I write about things.
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bodom
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Re: Selling medicine marijuana, is it violate the 5th precept

Post by bodom »

LonesomeYogurt wrote:Marijuana is an intoxicant and thus selling it is a violation of the Buddha's prescription for right livelihood.
What about narcotic pain relievers sold by pharmacists?

: anjali:
Liberation is the inevitable fruit of the path and is bound to blossom forth when there is steady and persistent practice. The only requirements for reaching the final goal are two: to start and to continue. If these requirements are met there is no doubt the goal will be attained. This is the Dhamma, the undeviating law.

- BB
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SDC
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Re: Selling medicine marijuana, is it violate the 5th precept

Post by SDC »

What bodom said...
“Life is swept along, short is the life span; no shelters exist for one who has reached old age. Seeing clearly this danger in death, a seeker of peace should drop the world’s bait.” SN 1.3
zolek
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Re: Selling medicine marijuana, is it violate the 5th precept

Post by zolek »

At first, I thought that it's intoxicant and violate the 5th precept. But I now think about it twice and I got confused. I think it as a drug have good and bad side. It's only bad when people abuse it. In this case, seller intention is important. Is it right
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DNS
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Re: Selling medicine marijuana, is it violate the 5th precept

Post by DNS »

As is typical, the Buddha was way ahead of his time, stating that for medicinal use it is okay:

http://www.dhammawiki.com/index.php?title=Cannabis" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Medicine is allowed and sometimes medicine can be drugs/narcotics.
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Re: Selling medicine marijuana, is it violate the 5th precept

Post by Cittasanto »

zolek wrote:Hi,

I've just wondering if people working for a legal marijuana dispensary have violated the 5th precept ? What makes it different from selling alcohol is that alcohol is clearly intoxicants, while in this case it's for medical uses only. What do you think ?

Much metta,
zolek
It would depend on why it is being sold!
but the answer is in your post, it is a legal marijuana dispensary so the person getting it would need to have it prescribed and it would be for certain things not anything, and for a particular purpose not for the sake of getting high!
so no they do not as it is a medicine, and would be classed as such in this instance.
morphine has the same problem, but how it is legally obtained is not breaking the precept.

The texts give an allowance for a certain amount of alcohol to be used in medicine, and although times have changed and drugs have also, the great standard is often used to make allowable things that are for medical purposes for legitimate reasons.
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He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them.
But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion …
...
He must be able to hear them from persons who actually believe them … he must know them in their most plausible and persuasive form.
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Ytrog
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Re: Selling medicine marijuana, is it violate the 5th precept

Post by Ytrog »

Moderation is key. If people can relieve pain and make an unbearable situation bareable it might be the lesser evil. Remember that a lot of food contains ingredients which influence your mind (think chocolate or coffee) not to mention the chemicals your body makes. It is no joke that love is intoxicating. Research found much the same chemicals in brains of people in love as heroin users.
Suffering is asking from life what it can never give you.
mindfulness, bliss and beyond (page 8) wrote:Do not linger on the past. Do not keep carrying around coffins full of dead moments
If you see any unskillful speech (or other action) from me let me know, so I can learn from it.
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Re: Selling medicine marijuana, is it violate the 5th precept

Post by Cittasanto »

David N. Snyder wrote:As is typical, the Buddha was way ahead of his time, stating that for medicinal use it is okay:

http://www.dhammawiki.com/index.php?title=Cannabis" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Medicine is allowed and sometimes medicine can be drugs/narcotics.
although I doubt it is sold for that purpose I am curious as to its effectiveness?
not that I have rhumatic pain, but just curious if there have been any experiments in this medically?
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He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them.
But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion …
...
He must be able to hear them from persons who actually believe them … he must know them in their most plausible and persuasive form.
John Stuart Mill
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Re: Selling medicine marijuana, is it violate the 5th precept

Post by DNS »

I am not sure about its effectiveness in rheumatism, but have heard it is good for glaucoma, chemotherapy and AIDS patients, and others with chronic pain conditions.
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Cittasanto
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Re: Selling medicine marijuana, is it violate the 5th precept

Post by Cittasanto »

David N. Snyder wrote:I am not sure about its effectiveness in rheumatism, but have heard it is good for glaucoma, chemotherapy and AIDS patients, and others with chronic pain conditions.
I have heard this also, but there maybe some mad scientist who would like to test it
http://www.imarijuana.com/medical-marij ... -treatment" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
there is quite a list of other problems also
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He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them.
But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion …
...
He must be able to hear them from persons who actually believe them … he must know them in their most plausible and persuasive form.
John Stuart Mill
zolek
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Re: Selling medicine marijuana, is it violate the 5th precept

Post by zolek »

I agree, marijuana medical purposes has long been established. Still, I'm still confused. As you said the key is moderation, and I have to agree. Even though the seller needs permit to sell, and patients need prescription to buy, seller have no control how it be used. If I get into the business, at the end of the day, I still wondering how many percentage the patients only use it as prescribed...
But on the other hand, it's still no seller's responsibility, right? If the seller's sole intention is to sell for prescribed patients, would it classified as ethical business ?

I've been thinking about this for quite some time, and I'm still not clear :(
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Re: Selling medicine marijuana, is it violate the 5th precept

Post by DNS »

zolek wrote: If I get into the business, at the end of the day, I still wondering how many percentage the patients only use it as prescribed...
As long as it is a legitimate business that has gone through all the hoops, licensing, permits, testing, etc. then I would estimate at least 99% of the patients would be legitimate with genuine prescriptions from an MD. If it is an illegal business run from a house or apartment, then I would estimate that 99% of the customers would be for recreational purposes.

Choose wisely, i.e., the legitimate route.
zolek
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Re: Selling medicine marijuana, is it violate the 5th precept

Post by zolek »

I'm only talking about legitimate route here because my main concern is that I don't want to violate the precept. Thanks for everyone input, I will consider your opinion very carefully
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Re: Selling medicine marijuana, is it violate the 5th precept

Post by Cittasanto »

If it is the legitimate route then there is no offense so long as you only use it for its intended purpose!
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He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them.
But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion …
...
He must be able to hear them from persons who actually believe them … he must know them in their most plausible and persuasive form.
John Stuart Mill
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