Groups & Religions

The lonely stoner frees his mind at night? Perhaps. However, cannabis consumption doesn’t have to be an antisocial activity. Marijuana use has been embraced by many groups –from social to religious. These groups are well-known, both nationally and internationally. Some of them may surprise you.

Is marijuana really something for people to enjoy quietly in the comforts of their home, or do these groups know more than most of us realize?

Cultural Groups

Every society can form groups, and they should. Groups represent alternative perspectives within a larger society. They help us identify others with similar belief systems and interests. When you’re part of a group that supports cannabis use, there’s no need to be a lonely stoner. You can get out enjoy cannabis with others. While there aren’t many notable cannabis groups to feature, there are cultural groups with ties to cannabis.

The groups we’ve featured either permit or encourage cannabis use within their organization – although this information is hearsay. You’d have to be a member to know for sure.

Learn about the cultural groups that are rumored to love cannabis:

religions

How do weed and religion relate? Believe it or not, many faiths talk about marijuana. Some religions even consume it as a sacrament. Many of these religions began in the subcontinent. In this uniquely diverse environment, you’ll find both wild-growing indica and sativa. For thousands of years, local people consumed cannabis plants for a variety of reasons. The practice lives on in some of theremaining religions.

How did cannabis make its way from India to the entire world? Religion was a large part of it. In the 1800s, Indian migrants made their way to Jamaica’s tiny island, bringing their knowledge of cannabis with them. At the same time, central American cultures introduced America’s hemp-friendly settlers to the potential of marijuana, likely learned from their ancient religious traditions.

The idea of the lonely stoner just doesn’t work when you consider cannabis’s role in many religions.

What religions embrace marijuana? Click and find out:

Rethinking the Lonely Stoner

For many, religions and cultural groups are problematic. They represent exclusion, rules,and fears. Some religious scholars suggest religion’s negative reputation is undeserved, but they’re still hardly something you’d associate with marijuana. They are definitely not what you’d associate with living a high and successful life.

However, in a world that didn’t embrace cannabis, these groups and religions helped maintain cannabis-friendly beliefs in a culture that wasn’t as welcoming. Perhaps it’s time we stop thinking about cannabis use as a society instead of the individual.