Cannabis

In the UK, there are attempts to push the government for making cannabis legal for recreational purposes. Currently the government has stated it has no plans to go ahead given the clear scientific and medical evidence that cannabis is a harmful drug which can damage users' mental and physical health.¹ The 2022 World Drug Report of United Nations Office on Drug and Crime shows that although the legalisation of cannabis in North America has reduced the number of arrest rates related to the possession of cannabis, it has increased the cases of psychiatric disorders and suicides.² The report also shows the heavy toll of cannabis use on the environment.³

Whilst rulings concerning cannabis are not mentioned directly in the Quran, its non-permissibility can be deduced on two grounds, namely their intoxicant nature and medically proven adverse effects.

1. The intoxicating nature of cannabis is well established. According to the WHO, it is psychoactive drug which interferes with the brain. Smoking even a small amount can impair the ability to carry out many types of operative tasks, including operating complex machinery for up to 24 hours.⁴ The impermissibility of intoxicants can be deduced from the Quranic verses prohibiting wine. Since it is clear that wine is prohibited due to its intoxicating quality, it is possible to extend the impermissibility to cannabis by resorting to analogy where the cause is of prohibition is known (qiyās manṣūṣ al-ʿilla).⁵ The Quran states,

We can also refer to the Prophetic report that states,

It may be argued that a smaller quantity of cannabis should be permitted for recreational purposes since it would not lead to intoxication. However, according to the following verses, Allah commands believers not only to abstain from vices but also not to even get closer to it. Quran says

This is supplemented by the Prophetic hadith which states,

2. Perhaps, a stronger argument for the non-permissibility of cannabis is its extremely adverse effects that falls under the broader categories of "harm" and "self-destruction". The Quran instructs.

Beside the Quranic verses, one can also refer to Prophetic hadith,

The non-permissibility of cannabis is evident due to its intoxicating and harmful nature. However, in cases where cannabis-based products are used for medical reason, it is permissible to take it as long as it is certified by and taken under the supervision of a qualified physician. The importance of protection of life (which includes quality of life), insofar Sharia rulings are concerned, outweighs the calculated risk of the consumption of cannabis-based products.¹³ 

^{[1] https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/300201}

^{[2] https://www.unodc.org/unodc/frontpage/2022/June/unodc-world-drug-report-2022-highlights-trends-oncannabis-post-legalization--environmental-impacts-of-illicit-drugs--and-drug-use-among-women-andyouth.html See https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/world-drug-report-2022.html}

^{[3] See above}

^{[4] https://www.who.int/teams/mental-health-and-substance-use/alcohol-drugs-and-addictive-behaviours/drugs-psychoactive/cannabis}

^{[5] It should be noted thou Abū Ḥanīfa had a different opinion concerning the fermentation of figs and dates as opposed to grapes. The latter is khamr but in the former he stipulated the condition of froth: the produce should froth after fermentation. However, this is not the accepted Hanafi position which states all intoxicants are haram. See Ibn ʿĀbidīn, Ḥāshiyat Ibn ʿĀbidīn: Radd al-Muhtār ʿalā al-Durr al-Mukhtār, Vol. 6, p. 448}

^{[6] Quran 5:90}

^{[7] Sahih Muslim, Book 36, Hadith 92}

^{[8] Quran 2:29}

^{[9] Sunan Ibn Majah 3392, Book 30, Hadith 22}

^{[10] Quran 2:195}

^{[11] Sunan ibn Majah 2340}

^{[12] Castle D, Murray RM. Marijuana and Madness: Psychiatry and Neurobiology. New York: Cambridge University Press; 2004. Page 91. This reference is cited from https://mft.nhs.uk/app/uploads/2021/01/Cannabis-and-mental-health.pdf See https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/world-drug-report-2022.html and https://www.who.int/teams/mental-health-and-substance-use/alcohol-drugs-and-addictive-behaviours/drugs-psychoactive/cannabis} 

^{[13] For e.g. people suffering from epilepsy and MS, for instance are prescribed medical cannabis: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/medical-cannabis/}