Up in Smoke – What the Muslim Community Needs to know about Cannabis
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Channel: Navaid Aziz
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Bismillah R Rahman r Rahim al hamdu Lillahi Rabbil alameen wa sallahu wa Sallim wa barik ala nabina Muhammad wa ala alihi wa sahbihi ijma in my blood, my dear brothers and sisters as salaam alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu.
Welcome to up in smoke. So now let's be honest, how many of you came for a photo tonight to smoke weed, we, we actually have hands put up.
So just to tell you that there will be no photos given. And we will not be giving out samples. If you see smoke, it is actually a fire exit the building as soon as you see that. And
with that having been said, instead, we do have a lot of material to go through. This is what the game plan is going to be. I'm going to give a 10 minute introduction in sha Allah. This is just a general introduction to what marijuana is, what are the things you need to know about it, the Islamic ruling on it, I'm going to pass it over to Dr. Nasir, then he's going to be speaking about the medicinal side or the medical side of it, and its health consequences, then shaycarl is going to be speaking about the social aspects of it, and how it actually impacts our youth is going to come back to me and my concluding session is going to be how to actually talk to your youth about this
issue in sha Allah, and what strategies youth can use before they make decisions that can alter the path of their life. All together, the presentation should be between 45 minutes to an hour. And we want to leave about half an hour for q&a. So we pray that Allah subhanaw taala makes our journey easy for us today. So the first thing, Cannabis, that is the official name of this concept that we're speaking about. It comes from this plant known as cannabis sativa. And more commonly it is known as marijuana. But you'll also notice that it has many, many other terms and that we'll get into that later on, particularly for parents. If you see these names on your children's phones, or
you hear your children talking about them. They're being shared so you're aware of them. After alcohol. cannabis is the second most commonly used psychoactive, it is the secondly, secondly, most commonly used psychoactive, there are 400 chemicals inside marijuana, the two main ones that you need to know about and be familiar with our THC and CBD. These two are very important to know because when you start talking about the Islamic rulings of them, you're going to be hearing these terms. So THC and CBD. THC is the element or the chemical inside marijuana that actually affects your mind. So it is what gives you the high it is what makes you feel good and gives you those other
feelings as well. The most commonly used type of THC, or the most common proponent of THC is known as delta nine. And that is the actual drug element inside mirror one CBD that is what is being researched right now in terms of its medicinal properties. And we'll be talking about that too. later on. How do you identify marijuana, usually it's green in color, and can go all the way to brown and it has a very strong odor, particularly when it is smoked. And that is why if you ever go to a park and you smell this strange odor, that's how usually marijuana is identified by its odor. What are other names that marijuana is known by? It is known as marijuana a bud a blunt, chronic
dab, dope. ganja grass, hash, Herb joint, Mary Jane, MJ pot, reefer, skunk, smoke, trees, wax and weed. I did not come up with this list by myself. I don't know how these lists. But as one of the resources that we have for you tonight in Sharla is this book, it has many more names beyond that I just use the most commonly once present. So these resources will be made available to you after the presentation inshallah they're already present here and then we'll pass them out after the session is over. How exactly is marijuana used? How do people actually use marijuana. And this is familiar. I know I know a lot of this is going to be funny, and I'm trying to keep it light hearted, but it's
a very serious matter. So often when marijuana is used, it is used as something that you smoke and you inhale if you smoke it or if you roll it in a cigarette form. This is known as a joint if you make it thicker, like a cigar, this is known as a blunt. And then you can also smoke it with water. And that water pipe is known as a bonk. Some of you already know the names.
Like Did you do this presentation already?
Don't worry, there's no shaming tonight. I mean, look, this is part of our culture. As in it's part of Canadian culture, right? It's becoming legal on October 17. And we're gonna be talking about that very soon as well. Now what parents need to know about this, I think everyone knew that it can be smoked. But what a lot of people don't know is that it can be consumed in other ways as well. It can now be turned into candy, right? It can be made into candy form. It's available in cookies. And in brownies. Coca Cola released an article that they plan on actually making drinks that have CBD inside of it.
Data CBD inside of it. And when you look at the business side of it, and this is just a quick tangent, the soda industry right now in 2017, actually was $76.4 billion soda industry 2017 $76.4 billion worldwide. They're anticipating the legal marijuana industry by 2030 to be $75 billion, meaning it will be at par with the soda industry. And after 2030, it will actually overtake the soda industry. And you all know how much soda we consume, right? Almost every meal, someone is having some sort of soda. So that is how much it is being consumed. And marijuana is going to catch up. They're saying within approximately 10 years to that. So marijuana can also be taken as cookies as
candies, and in brownies. Now, here's some scary statistics, the rate of cannabis is two times higher in youth 15 to 24. As it is in adults, why is the age 15 to 24. such an important age who can tell me what's happening 15 to 24.
Your brain and your mind is still developing, right. So it's such an important age for young people 15 to 24, yet the highest usage rates are in that age. And we'll be talking about later on the adverse effects of smoking marijuana at such a young age at such a young age. Generally, generally, males will use more marijuana than females. So there are much higher usage rates in males and they are in females, but females are catching up, they aren't being left behind.
One in five teens 15 to 19. have used marijuana in the past year. That's crazy. One in five teens 15 to 19. have used it by show of hands, who amongst you is 15 to 19 over here, if you're between 15 to 19.
Right. So you know, it tells us a lot that you know our community is growing. These are concepts that we need to be discussing, and be frank and open about what are the main reasons that people actually use marijuana. Okay, I want you to listen to the five main reasons. And then I want you to tell me, which one is the most dangerous reason, Okay, listen to the five reasons. And I want you to tell me which one is the most dangerous reason, people will use it for pleasure. So this is just for the sake of feeling good. They want to have a good time. So they smoke marijuana. Number two, they use it as a coping mechanism for stress, anxiety, and depression. Number three, they use it for
experimentation, that, hey, other people are trying it, and they're talking about it. And I too want to try it and see what it is like number four, they use it as a social experience. So when people get together, this is what they do when they're amongst their friends. And number five, they use it based upon culture. When I heard about this, I found this very, very strange. But if you look in Indian history, in particular, this dates back about 3000 years, they actually have like a milkshake type drink, that they mix cannabis and other fruit and milk substances with and drink it as a milkshake. So there are cultural and religious practices that actually consume marijuana. So now
let's go back to these five pleasure coping mechanism, experimentation, social and cultural. Which one is the most dangerous?
Okay, okay, let's do let's do a vote here. How many of you feel pleasure is the most dangerous? Raise your hands. Pleasure. Okay, we have a few hands. How many of you think coping mechanism is the most dangerous? Raise your hands? How many of you think experimentation is the most dangerous? Raise your hands. How many of you think social is the most dangerous? Raise your hands. And how many of you think cultural is the most dangerous? Raise your hands to people for cultural.
Statistically speaking, and alter anticipating statistics to show the most dangerous mechanism is actually going to be the coping mechanism. Why? It's not a competition. It's not a competition is going to be the coping mechanism. Why? Because as human beings, particularly as Muslims, we have coping mechanisms to deal with stress and anxiety, right? praying to Allah subhanaw taala reciting Quran making dua speaking to professionals about our problems. These are the normal coping mechanisms that were mentioned to us. But when people resort to any form of substance, whether it be alcohol, whether it be marijuana, or other narcotics and drugs, what they're doing is they're
numbing the pain without actually dealing with the problem, numbing the pain without actually dealing with the problem. And that is something that is very, very dangerous. So that is the most I guess that is the thing that we have
To be the most cautious of what does smoking marijuana actually feel like and handle, I can confidently say, I don't know what that feels like. But research shows that it is the following, you will feel happy, you will feel relaxed, increased sociability, heightened sensations, those are what they call the positive connotations with it. Here are the negatives now, problems with memory and learning, distorted perception in terms of your sight, your ability to hear, and your ability to touch, trouble thinking and problem solving, and loss of motor coordination, right loss of motor coordination, so your ability to maneuver that will be completely lost. Now, what's important to
mention over here, two things to mention. Number one, not all marijuana is the same. So there are different types of marijuana and marijuana is actually laced with other substances as well, like cocaine and other things as well. So the more potent the marijuana, the more adverse the effects. The second thing to keep in mind is that your tolerance level actually increases. So someone that does it for the first time is not someone that does it for like the 100th time, their body will naturally get more accustomed to it. And they may be able to function almost normally to a certain degree, even though they're smoking mirror, Juana.
What about the laws? What's happening in terms of Canadian law? And what do we need to know about it? The big day is October 17. So that is just around the corner for us, right? Approximately 10 days from now, the law is going to be as follows. If you're over 18, you are allowed possessing 30 grams of marijuana with you, you have more than 30 grams, it can become a criminal charge. What if you're under 18 years old, under 18. If you have five grams or less, then this is at the discretion of the police officer themselves. But it will not be a criminal charge, you will not have a criminal record. If you have over five grams, then this will now become a criminal charge, this will now
become a criminal charge. public consumption of marijuana will still not be allowed. You'll not be allowed to smoke marijuana or use marijuana, outside buildings or in parks, but you will be allowed to use it in private residences. What is something important to know about private residences, landlords have the right to specify that you are not allowed smoking marijuana on their premise. Just like they say that you can't have pets, and you can't smoke. They also have the right to say that you cannot use marijuana on their premise. So landlords will have that. Right. And the last section I want to cover is what is the Islamic stance on marijuana? Is there a difference of
opinion? Is there room for flexibility? How do we deal with these issues? Well, we have to understand that Islam has a reasoning behind each and every single one of its rulings, rulings in Islam are not there just for the sake of having rulings. But rather there's reasoning behind them. who are closest thing that we can relate to this too, is alcohol. We will all agree that the consumption of alcohol in its purest form is how long it is how long because it is an intoxicant. What are the ramifications spiritually, if you use alcohol, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam tells us that our Salah will not be accepted for 40 days, that is just the beginning of the
consequences, then you have, you know, medical reasons as well, the impact that it has on your liver, the impact that it has, you know, for you to think and comprehend, and you know, contemplate and all of those things, right? So that is like alcohol. Now, with marijuana, someone may come and say, Hey, marijuana isn't mentioned in the Quran. So therefore, it must be hard because everything in the dunya is hidden. Now, you may think that's a silly argument. But you will be surprised how many young people come up with that argument. It's not mentioned in the Quran, therefore, it must be hidden. But that's not the way our faith works. As I mentioned, everything has a reasoning in terms
of its rulings. And if that reasoning is present, and other substances, whether it's mentioned in the Quran and the Sunnah or not becomes irrelevant at that point. Right? You can argue that, hey, you know, cocaine isn't mentioned and all these other drugs aren't mentioned. But no one would actually argue that they're halal, right? Because we see the adverse effects that those things have. So recreational usage of marijuana is actually very, very simple. I'm confident in saying that it is haram to recreationally use marijuana. Now we get to the medicinal component of it. And this is where you will have a lot more discussion with the scholars of Islam or in consensus of their in the
age of anything that is haraam.
As a general rule cannot be used for medicinal purposes, with the exception, if there is no other alternative, with the exception of if there is no other alternative. This is HMR. It is one of the fundamental pillars of Islamic jurisprudence, right? It is something very, very heavy and concrete. But now what is happening as technology advances, you can manipulate and alter the chemical properties of these drugs. And that is why it's very important to understand what THC and CBD are, Dr. Nas is going to be speaking more about some of those components. But from an Islamic perspective, if there is anything that will hinder the faculty of the mind, and your ability to
judge between right and wrong, and your ability to protect your human life, then that is something that will become Haram. But now as technology advances, they're able to remove the THC and leave the CBD component in it alone. And the CBD component in it, for the most part does not affect your mental capabilities. So with that being said, a very short summary is that if the THC is removed, and the CBD remains, that is something that will be permissible. But when the presence of the THC, then that is something that needs to be looked at, will it hinder one's ability to process and to think or not? You can read a more detailed paper on this. If you're interested at Elm source.com
your own source.com there's a paper on medicinal marijuana by abou Sandy amatola. For those that are you familiar with the Arabic language, then she had them and Hodge has a paper on the use of narcotics in medicine. And that is in the Arabic language. You can read more about that over there. I shall pass it over now to Dr. Nasir. And I will come back later on to talk about how youth can cope with better decision making and how parents can talk to their teens in a later shift COVID Bismillah Alhamdulillah wa salatu salam ala rasulillah vida and he was a human whether Alomar founder was in there. So in sha Allah, I'm going to go into more detail in a bit Mashallah provided
a good overview of some of the key points, you know, from the scientific perspective from the Islamic perspective. And I'm going to go into a little bit more detail on some of the, the medical science behind marijuana. For myself speaking as a medical doctor, this is information that many medical doctors will be familiar with, or should be familiar with, when they're talking to their patients about and for for myself is my specialty is in neuro imaging. So some of the specific harmful effects of marijuana on the brain, there's an interesting discussion about how it impacts for example, the hippocampus that decreases the white matter in the hippocampus. So these are some
of the interesting tangents that I will mention as well and chart data. But to go back to
the the basic, you know, fundamentals of what Shekinah bid was mentioning. So this plant that we're talking about this drug marijuana, first of all, it's not one drug, right? We mentioned that marijuana is is the name for the what people are using from cannabis, the plant cannabis, which has hundreds of different chemical compounds within it, hundreds of different chemicals within the plant cannabis. So first of all, why do they call it marijuana? Why is marijuana the more common name for it? Does anyone know?
How did it become to be called marijuana? One of the arguments that's made is that the reason why it's more commonly referred to as marijuana is because previously, when this when these drugs were coming into the United States, the government used wanted to refer to it more commonly as marijuana to play on people's racism towards foreigners to stigmatize it. So they use the Mexican Spanish term for it, marijuana. So they said, Oh, those four crazy foreigners bring in their drugs, the marijuana, right to create a sense of more fear. And that's why when you go into the arguments, why are you know, 70% or something like that Canadians in favor of allowing of legalizing marijuana,
you'll see that a big part of it has to do with the racist way in which some of these laws were implemented. You know, that the fact that African Americans were four times more likely to get arrested for possessing it, then white so there was this kind of racist bias that a lot of people were concerned about as well. And also the idea that, you know, if we're allowing alcohol which has greater harms in society, why are we punishing people for marijuana? So we'll touch on that as well. But as soon as we mentioned marijuana is the name is another name, but, but the the plant itself is cannabis and cannabis, the there's different strains of it. So you have cannabis sativa which is
The, you know, the common source that was being used for marijuana. But what happened was that people, you know, initially that when that was growing, there was only certain climates in which people could grow it. And then people discovered in the in the mountains in India, they discovered another strain called cannabis indika. And they found that if they brought this back to the United States, and they bred the two together, sativa and indika, they were able to create hybrids and they could read it anywhere. And so that caused more cultivation of cannabis throughout the United States. Now,
cannabis is shifting COVID mentioned there's the two most important chemical compounds to know about. One is THC or tetrahydrocannabinol. And that's the component that is psychoactive meaning that it alters the mind. It causes psychosis. Right. The other compound is CBD cannabidiol. Right. And that's the that's the component that is said to be non psychoactive, but it also has some important effects on the body that we'll talk about as well. So what does it mean when we say that THC causes psychosis? What is psychosis?
Yes.
When you go crazy,
that aren't there you think things? What's that? Say?
You think of things that aren't real, that's very good explanation. So psychosis it has Mashallah they has different components to it. One is hallucinations, and another is delusions, right? So hallucination is when you perceive something that's not there, you see or hear or feel something, and it's not actually there. So it's a disturbance of perception. A delusion is a disturbance of thought. So you think something's going on. And it's not actually happening? You think that the television is talking to you, you think that somebody's coming out to chase you, right? You think that something's going on? That's not actually happening. So you have hallucinations, you have
delusions, you can also have alterations in your thoughts, they can become disorganized, that type of thoughts can get get changed, basically, your mind is no longer functioning the way that it should. So from an Islamic perspective, when we talk about the goals of Islam, the Mufasa, the shediac, what are the objectives that Islam is trying to achieve? This comes under the discussion of heathwood happen, right, the preservation of the mind, because Islam wants for us to be able to use our rational faculties at once for us to cultivate our minds. So from the the goals of Islam is to gain a good education, to learn and understand about the world, and also from the goals of Islam,
then is to prevent ourselves from using substances, which negatively impact our mind. When we talk about the effects of marijuana, there are immediate effects, and then there are long term effects. So the immediate effects are if somebody right now smokes marijuana, what's going to happen to their mind and what's going to happen to their body? The long term effects is, when this person becomes a user of marijuana on a regular basis, what are the negative things that are going to happen? Okay, so in terms of immediate effects, how fast does it work, if somebody smokes it, it can start working within five minutes, sometimes it can take up to half an hour, and it can last a total of four
hours. That's how fast it starts to work within five minutes, it can start working, if somebody ingested the eat something containing that chemical compound, it has to go through their digestive system, it can take a little bit longer to start working. So it could take up to three hours even for it to start working. And that can be particularly dangerous, because they may think it's not having an effect, and they may consume more and more and increase their dosage. And all of the effects are related to the dose, especially the harmful effects, the more harmful effects are seen, the more that a person consumes. So in terms of the effects on the mind, you know, there's the
reason why people consume it is because they get this euphoria, this happiness feeling. But in terms of the the negative effect, there's also that psychosis, the hallucinations, the delusions, and chronically using is they found that it has a lot of negative impacts on working memory, on planning and decision making on disinhibition, meaning that you have impulse poor impulse control, the ability to control one's oneself, one's control one's desires, becomes weakened.
And there's effects on the body as well. So, which we'll get to the immediate effects on the body, a person person's heart rate goes up, their blood pressure goes up, they may have slurred speech, their eyes become red, right? That's something that a lot of people notice that if somebody has been using marijuana, their eyes become red, they may have a dry mouth, there they may become more hungry,
different things of that nature. Now, studies have shown you know, what are the effects
effects of marijuana on the body. When you look at the brain. In cannabis users, there was a systematic review, that was that looked at multiple studies that were done multiple research papers, 56 different papers. And they found that the hippocampus in the brain has a reduced gray matter density and people who are
cannabis users chronic cannabis users. What that means is the hippocampus is the structure in our brain that is associated with memory. Right? So it shows you that there you can actually see the changes on the brain, when you do scans brain scans on these people who are chronically using this.
In addition to that, some of the these impacts are worse when the user is young. Okay, so shortly we had mentioned that, that youth up until a person's early 20s, their brain is still actually developing. So using cannabis during that time, it prevents the normal development, it can actually have greater negative harms because of the because the brain is still in a more vulnerable state. And so people who are between the age 14 to 22, who's who, who use marijuana, and then they stopped at age of 22, they didn't use it after that, even still at age 27. They their cognitive capacity was less than their peers, their other students, even at age 27. They couldn't keep up with some of
their fellow classmates. And you think about that that's, that can be pretty sad for a kid who makes a bad life decision in their teenage years. And for the rest of their life, they may suffer the consequences of that decision, because it takes them down the path where they're actually doing long term damage to their brain. Now, other effects that that it can have in some patients who, who who use cannabis, one of the effects that you can get is, especially amongst people who are using it on a daily basis. It's a very unique syndrome that happens to cannabis users. It's called cannabis hyperemesis syndrome. It's a very unique syndrome, what happens is, these people actually start
vomiting multiple times again and again and again. In fact, they can, they can vomit up to five times per day. And this just happens nonstop for them. And so what they end up doing, it's a very peculiar phenomenon. They end up taking multiple hot showers to try because that's the only thing that relieves them. So if you hear about somebody taking, you know, 10 hot showers a day, and they're throwing up 510 times a day, because of this, this can be hot cannabis hyperemesis syndrome. And in in in Colorado, where they've had this legalization of marijuana, they've seen increased emergency department visits for people with cannabis hyperemesis syndrome, and increased medical
costs associated with treating patients who have this condition. Also, in terms of the effects on the lungs, everybody knows about tobacco smoking, right, causing lung cancer. And a lot of research has been done on tobacco smoking and lung cancer. cannabis is still newer, but the research is already that's already being done is starting to show the same kinds of things. Because the bottom line is whenever you inhale something into your lungs, that small particles, it causes inflammation in the lungs, and that inflammation ends up causing the cells to develop mutations and cause cancer. So chronic inflammation in the lungs is always going to have negative impacts. And so what they
found is that
these when people smoke marijuana, this actually has the same chemicals that people find in some of the same chemicals like Ben's pirate and Ben's anthracene. These these are carcinogens, they actually cause cancer. The only major exception that marijuana doesn't have is nicotine, which is in tobacco smoking, but it has a lot of the other chemicals. And when they take a biopsy of the of a patient's lungs, they take a tissue sample, they see the same changes happening in the lungs that they see in patients who have tobacco smoking. And there was a study that was done in the Journal of Global Oncology, which found increased rates of lung cancer amongst patients who were smoking
marijuana. So when Sharon COVID was speaking earlier about the reasons why marijuana could be hot on one of them is intoxication. But another one of them is the harm that it does to a person's body. Unless Donna says the denominator
all you who believe Allah to obey the Camila tahoka do not throw yourself into destruction. Right? Allah says what not to do on physical and do not kill yourself, right unless puntata tells us not to do harm to ourselves so that our body is an Amana. We don't want to be taking a substance that is going to cause lung cancer that is going to cause permanent damage in the brain.
These are some of the the the harmful negative effects. And you know, probably one of the interesting things that I want to mention is that a lot of the there's a lot of
there's a lot of media out there from people who are almost cult like supporters of marijuana. I was speaking to, you know, one Muslim brother who's actually a science and neuroscientist who does full time research in cannabis and its relationship to mental disorders, like schizophrenia. And he said that an interesting point that he mentioned is that for some people, it's almost like a religion. Like they want to just say that cannabis marijuana, it cures cancer, marijuana does this marijuana does that. And so Paul, I saw some of these popular YouTube talk shows where the people are speaking about marijuana and one guy was say, Oh, of course, it's good for the body, right? You know, when
you smoke marijuana, you clean it is not bad for your lungs, it's good for your lungs, it actually it clears out all the mucus in your lungs, and SubhanAllah. This shows you the harms of ignorance and our times because the reason why people who smoke marijuana they cough out more mucus is because it actually destroys the normal mucus clearing system in your lungs, the cilia, the normal epithelium in the lungs, and it replaces that with mucus secreting goblet cells, which are actually creating more mucus. So when you're coughing up more mucus, it's not because you're clearing out your lungs, it's because you've actually destroyed the normal lining in the lungs. And now your
lungs are producing more mucus. So that's one of the one of the harms as well. Also, in terms of, you know, some of the other points to consider. So we mentioned that mental illnesses is something that it has been associated.
Now, the link is not cause and effect between schizophrenia and cannabis, which is important to clarify, it's not that somebody smokes marijuana, they get schizophrenia, but it's showing that there's an interesting connection where a person might have an increased predisposition to getting schizophrenia. And marijuana makes it worse, right. So there is some kind of connection that is there. And it is more research that's being done on this as well. Now, lastly, I want to get to what are some of the quote unquote, medical benefits that people are talking about? And can somebody take marijuana for medical purposes, the College of Family Physicians of Canada released a set of
guidelines in February of this year. And if these are guidelines for for family doctors across Canada to reference and use in treating their patients, and you'll notice that in these guidelines, there's a lot that's mentioned about it. First of all, it has it mentions right at the beginning, in general, we recommend against prescribing medical marijuana, except for very few indications where there is very weather where evidence is it has been brought, and other medications don't work. So Subhanallah chicken have been mentioned about what the scholars of phip are saying about him using it as a last resort. It's actually the same thing that the medical doctors are saying, right? So if
you'd look at what is the the the advice about using it for chronic pain, they actually mentioned that you should you can use it if you've tried three or more other medications that are not you that are not working for your neuropathic pain. So it's the they mentioned it as a third line option, right. Similarly for for palliative end of life care, care in cancer patients, they have to have tried two other medications that don't work, then you can consider it. And if if somebody is considering medical cannabis, they shouldn't be using just a street product. They should be using a pharmaceutical product that has been manufactured by pharmacies and tested in patients to know that
it's it's safe as well. Other proven areas where there has been some benefit there. There's research relating to CBD. And there's also research relating to THC. So remember THC is the one that psychoactive and that would be the one that's more controversial from an Islamic perspective. THC is the one that seems to actually suppress vomiting. The CBD is the one that doesn't have that vomiting suppression effect. Now THC, there's some research talking about using it in chemotherapy related nausea and vomiting. So patients taking chemotherapy for cancer, who get nausea and vomiting. There's some research showing that it may have a role in that situation. In terms of seizures,
that's another situation where CBD has been shown to have some benefit in kids who have specific seizure syndrome. So for example, there's a syndrome called dravet syndrome, babies who have these repeated seizures and nothing else seems to be working you a doctor may prescribe medical cannabis. Similarly in a there's another
seizure related syndrome and kids, Lennox Gaston syndrome, which is another one where CBD may have a benefit, CBD may have a benefit.
Now, as Muslims, we encourage scientific research, I think it's important to emphasize that. And yes, we're emphasizing some of the negative harm. So people don't take this matter lightly. And they don't say, Oh, you know, it's there's not not a serious consequence to it. But there is also some ongoing medical research that shows that may expand the role for medical marijuana in some cases. So there's interesting research about cancers where medical marijuana may actually suppress the growth of tumors. And that that research shows that it can have different effects, depending on the the specific concentration. So it's not for a person to just take a street product and say, Oh, you
know, if I have a medical condition, or if I have asthma, marijuana will cure my asthma, you know, some people claim, right, it's, this is something that has to go through a physician, they have to look at every the whole medical situation, they have to look at other drugs that are being used, and then come to conclusion. And the risk of dependency, it seems to be about 10% a risk for a person to become dependent on cannabis. And one of the things you have conveyed mentioned is the that is the most dangerous is when people use as a coping mechanism, that also has a greater risk for them to become dependent on it. Because they get stressed, they take marijuana, they get stressed, again,
they take marijuana, it becomes a cycle for them.
I want to conclude with, you know, just a general Islamic perspective on this, you know, first of all, one of the arguments that is often made for in support of marijuana is that, you know, we allow alcohol and alcohol is is more harmful. And so therefore, what's the problem with with marijuana, that's an argument somebody may make to support legalizing marijuana in society. And for me the Sonics perspective, you know, there's no doubt that alcohol is bad. That's something Muslims would agree alcohol is the worst. And Subhanallah I remember, you know, seeing how the medical evidence has evolved over the years when I was in medical school, they used to say that, you know, alcohol in
moderate quantities can be good for you. But in larger quantities, it's it's, it's harmful. And they used to tell people, you know, don't drink if it's if it's more than a few drinks, then it's bad. But somehow this year, you know, as the evidence evolves, the the the conclusions change. And this year, there was a big study that was published that said, no amount of alcohol is safe for you. No amount of alcohol is safe. And so when you study alcohol, you see that every organ in the body that it touches, it damages, right. So whether it's whether you're talking about alcohols effect on the the mouth in the throat, causing oral cancer, or its effect on the stomach causing gastritis, or its
effect on the liver causing liver cirrhosis, or its effect on the brain causing warnick ease encephalopathy, almost everything that it's touching, it's in the body, it's causing disease SubhanAllah. And in addition to all the crimes that increased because of alcohol, all the rapes that happen under the influence of alcohol, or the drunk driving incidents, all of the negative impacts in society, and they say, Well, you know, from an Islamic perspective, we say clearly it's harmful. Therefore, this is something that should be prohibited. And somebody may say, you know, well, we tried prohibition in the West it didn't work. And this is something that I think it's it's useful
for us to reflect on from an Islamic perspective. You know, why is it that when out when the when the the the command was revealed in Medina to prohibit alcohol immediately people threw away what they were drinking the streets of Medina were flowing with this alcohol that they were emptying out and people act upon it instantly. Whereas in the West when they tried to do that they didn't work the answer to this is in a beautiful hadith of eyeshadow dillo one Hmm, and she eyeshadow the last one has she says if the first thing that was revealed in Islam was the command led to trouble comma if the first thing revealed in Assam was the command don't drink alcohol people would have said
we're never going to leave alcohol but the first things that were revealed in Islam were the the mention of Jana and now the the mention of the afterlife the the spiritual reminders for the human being building that spiritual connection between the human being and unless I know what Donna she says hot day that Tabitha boo boo Larrabee her Meza lol Helen what from until when hearts became firmly attached in their connection with their Lord, then the commands for prohibition and permissibility were revealed. So what it shows us in Islam is that you can't force a society to leave something that they want to follow their desires in doing. If it's just based on laws and
legal punishments. It has to have a spirit
implication for them, there has to be because a person spiritually believes this thing is, is is harmful, this is going to harm my relationship with a loss. This may close doors for me that I won't be able to open again, they have to have that spiritual foundation and for parents that shows us that we need to emphasize in engaging with the youth, use wisdom and focus on building a relationship with your children. Don't focus on telling if your only relationship with your kid is do this and don't do this. What kind of relationship is that? You think they will feel comfortable coming to you? And would you want your kid to not to leave something just because they say I don't
want my parents to find out I'm doing that. What's better that they say I'm not going to do this because my parents said so or they say I'm not going to do this because I believe that it will take me away from a lesson on what Donna which is the better option. So you see when the man that when the youth came to the Prophet Muhammad SAW so many said Yabba sola, give me permission to do Xena. Give me permission to fornicate, what did the Prophet Muhammad says some say? They say oh, you know, he needs a
beating somebody grabbed chapels, you know, grab the sandals? No, he the Prophet Muhammad says I didn't discipline physically discipline him, or even scold him. He didn't even say something negative to him. The Prophet Muhammad says I'm a reasoned with him, he said, Would you like that for your, for your mother or for your daughter or for your sister. And he she explained it to him in a way that the youth understood and increased his taqwa and his spiritual connection. So, to conclude, we should focus on building the spiritual foundations when we're engaging with the youth. And, you know, the the conclusion from a medical standpoint is that there are many proven harms to marijuana.
The research is very clear, especially for young adults. for teenagers, there's the the harms can be even worse. There are some medical benefits that are being studied. And Islam promotes scientific research and some wants us to have an academic perspective, to learn more and to enter to find cures to diseases, because the profitsystem said, for every disease, there is a cure. Right and with the right query will be if you find the right treatment, by a less parenthesis permission, it will be cured. But the focus the consensus from both medical doctors and from Islamic scholars is that those medical treatments that that's a case of using it as a last resort when other things are not working
inshallah tada with that I'll conclude I know I went over time. Zack alone, I'll pass it to shefali we know when hamdu Lillah
wa salatu salam ala rasulillah. Just like a lot of hate nocturna, for sharing with us your findings, and that's very beneficial beneficial information.
What I would like to do now is shed some light on really the importance of understanding why
this legislative law that will be soon passed is going to affect
our community. Right? Our community as we know the title for today's lecture is what our community needs to know about cannabis.
One thing we need to realize and really understand is that society is changing.
And we find that society continuously and constantly throws in our path, temptation and desire.
And we're getting to the point now when it becomes difficult as a parent, or it becomes difficult as a youth to hold on to some of your own beliefs and some of your values and your morals. It's become difficult.
And this is actually something that the prophet SAW Sundin prophesized over 1400 years ago where he said, Yeah, try the NASA manual.
And he can copy the other journal, then there will come a time. And I think we have a strong argument to say that we are in this time now today, where the person who wants to hold on to his Deen or hold on to his values or his morals, or what he believes in,
it becomes difficult, so much so that it is as if they are juggling a burning coal in their hand.
So it's only natural as Muslims to feel as if at times, we are going against society and the norms of society. And what you know, society deems as acceptable and correct and right and cool. It's an uphill battle. You're going against the grain, and you're fighting a current
and you're turning into somewhat of a stranger. But this is a good thing. As the prophet SAW Selim taught us
COVID dunya can occur without evil, are very savvy. So it's okay to feel at times that you know, what I don't fit in, everybody around me is doing something and I'm not doing it. And I'm the outcast, or I'm the black sheep. That's so kconfig dunya and recovery, be in this life, as if you are a stranger.
Now, the reality is that when it comes to the legalization of marijuana, everyone is going to be affected. Everyone will be affected,
some more than others, but we will all be affected in some way. I was in a print shop just a couple of weeks ago, I was getting some books prepared. And the owners of this print shop, they're Muslims, good friends of the community. And I was speaking to them and all of a sudden the issue of marijuana came into play.
And the mother she was very concerned. And she said to me, she said it, I'm concerned. I said, What is your concern? She said that right now as we speak, they are opening up a marijuana cannabis dispensary. Meaning This is going to be the hot spot, you know, Toys R Us. This is we are us, you find anything you want in there. From the candies. As chef was mentioning, the different edibles the different strains of marijuana, it's all there. And it looks nice. And they put it in beautiful packaging so that when you see it, you're curious. And she's very worried. She said, I'm worried number one about my community, meaning my neighborhood.
And I'm even more so worried about my children, and the influence that this place may have on them. Now, as I mentioned, we're all going to be affected.
But the demographic, from within our community that will be affected most are the youth hands down. And that is something the youth must understand. And that is something those who are responsible for the youth, whether it be the parents, whether it be the Imams, whether it be any type of youth coordinators, whether it even be a big brother or a big sister,
we need to understand
that
there is going to be a war on drugs.
And the reality is some of us will be harmed. Some of us will fall victim
and some of us will triumph. That is the reality, I have been dealing with the youth in this community for some time.
And
when it comes to drug use, I've dealt with many different types of youth. There are youth who are interested in trying,
you know, and smoking weed, because everybody around them are doing it.
There are you who are in it so deep that they feel as if they're addicted, and there's no way out.
And there are youth who are actually dealing these drugs. Literally they're dealing these drugs are making a profit, they're making money off other Muslim kids.
In order for them to benefit just a little bit from this dunya.
One thing I've realized in dealing with the youth, especially those who are in it,
and I know a lot of youth who are in and these are Muslim youth,
right? Don't think for a second, that your child is
completely safe. Or there's a force field around your child when he or she steps out of the house and this will not affect them. Do not fool yourself.
But one of the things that I begin to recognize is the why and the Why is so important. Why are our children interested in smoking marijuana? Why are our children indulging in this type of activity? Why?
And why is it important for us as parents and as guardians and as leaders to understand the why?
Because if we understand the why ultimately, we can attack it
and we
can address it. And we can offer our youth alternatives because this is what they need a little sub panel with to add for everything that he has made hot off, there is an alternative that is high that it is our duty to aid and help and assist our youth in finding these alternatives.
Now, what I would like to do is share with you some of my experience Shaykh navaid mentioned a few of these things, I believe it was five, what I've done is I've been able to
categorize these reasons of why into two different segments. There are external factors. And there are internal factors. As for the external factor, one of the main reasons why we find our children so curious and so intrigued. And so, you know,
you know, willing to want to indulge in marijuana and different types of drugs, is because of friendship, is because of companionship is because of the people they hang around. And I'll tell you this right now, the people that your children hang around are the most influential people in your children's life.
The people, the friends, that your children hang around, are more influential
to them than you than me, then Allah, and then Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, this is the reality. There are influences there.
And if our youth do not recognize this, then they will only fall fall victim. It only takes one youth one kid to come
and pollute
and introduce this type of idea.
One kid.
So what's the solution? We Shabaab look at your friends, this is the advice of the Prophet, your friends, you are on the deed you are on the way of life as your friends. So look at the type of people you surround yourself with.
If there are people who are bringing you hate, then hey, if there are people that are bringing you shadow, then step back away, because the people that you hang around and the things that you do with them today will ultimately mold you into the person that you become tomorrow.
That is the reality.
And we have this idea that we need all these friends, we need friends, we need more friends, Junior High High School University, our youth have this idea that we need, the more friends we have, the more happier we will be or the more accepted we will feel. But in reality, the more friends that you have, the more peer pressure you are going to face.
And I'll tell you something about marijuana, weed
dope.
That the number one reason why people try for the first time, marijuana is because of peer pressure.
Now afterwards, there might be other reasons why they continue. But the initial reason
why the majority of young men and young woman indulge in marijuana youth is because of the peer pressure.
So you have to have this idea of quality over quantity when it comes to the people that you surround yourself with you Shabaab. Do you hear me?
Shabaab? Do you hear me?
Well, I, we never had this growing up. We never had a community who would come and you'll take the township navaid reached out to me said it, let's do this. So this is maybe the first time it's ever happened in this city.
Maybe even in the country.
We've never had this.
Don't take this for granted.
Don't take it for granted. Don't think we're just up here trying to you know, enjoy a Friday night but rather we're up here trying to give you some sincere advice, whether it be islamically whether it be medically whether it be socially.
This is why we are here.
The second external factor is recreation. You know a lot of young guys especially winning in the university need to become 16 years old, they get a car they get a driver's license. They want to just go out and
Do something but the reality is there's never anything to do.
And even as a Muslim you said, Well, I can't go to the parties and I can't go here and I can't go there.
Go to Tim Hortons right now.
Go to any Tim Hortons right now go to the parking lot, you will find a five seater with eight teenagers in it.
And they're rolling up weed. They're smoking a joint, they're smoking out of the pipe, they're smoking out of the box. They're getting high. They're listening to music, and they say, Hey, we're doing something.
It gives them something to do.
At times, we're lucky I cannot blame them.
Because what is the alternative? What have we as a community offered as an alternative?
So what are they left with? This is how they enjoy themselves on a Friday, Saturday night.
Your Environment Matters.
In terms of
internal factors, and this is the most concerning factor for me. And we've mentioned it and we've all agreed
that the internal factor of using marijuana to numb your pain, yes, Shabaab listened to me
to numb your pain. Well, I asked him, I said, Why are you smoking? He says, well, it, it just makes me forget about everything. It numbs the pain, I forget about my problems.
And this is so concerning. Because I tell the young man, I tell the young woman that you're 1516 1718 year olds with problems.
I'm not negating you know the issues that our youth are facing. But yes, Shabaab as you grow and you become older, you're gonna face a lot more struggle in your life.
None of you guys have a spouse that you need to take care of, none of you guys have children that you need to take care of, none of you guys are paying rent, none of you guys are working a nine to five, none of you guys are responsible for you know, a business.
And as you become older, you're going to be facing these problems. And if you are relying on these types of substances to numb the pain, then what is happening is you're only causing more harm. And when we finally is no longer the answer, you move to the harder drug, as they say marijuana is the gateway drug. It's true.
Because especially if you're using it for your problems,
everybody is going to face issues and hardship in their life. And if we're using this as a as a means to you know, subdue this emotion in pain, then we're only causing more pain, I always tell the Shabaab, you know, it's like a jungle. It's like a slash, you know, when you get cut.
You need to go to the hospital and you need to go and get stitches, you need to sanitize it.
Or you can just go grab a band aid and put it on top what's going to happen, you want a quick fix, but what's ultimately going to happen to that scar, that scar on your arm or that spot in your heart. It's going to become infected.
It's going to become infected until they have to amputate it. And it's no longer a part of you. You've lost a part of yourself.
That's what drugs do to you. That's why when somebody is cracked out or somebody's high, so you're not acting like yourself, because they lost a part of themselves just when they just just imagine this picture this when you blow that weed out your Shabaab, that's a part of you coming out.
Right is what they do. Sometimes they say who can take the biggest hit? Meaning who can who can lose themselves the most?
This is the reality.
May Allah subhanho wa Taala protect our youth. And may Allah subhanho wa Taala give us the means and know how in offering alternatives for our youth so they don't have to resort to these types of substances is a lot of hate. I will pass it back to shake, innovate so he can conclude. Okay, so my concluding remarks were meant to deal with
how parents should talk to their teens. And then, you know, how do you make better decisions in their lives? I'm going to skip about I'm going to skip the part about how parents should speak about their teens and I'm gonna explain
Plain why every tip that I have about how parents should speak about their teens is coming from this booklet over here. This booklet is produced by the government and is being distributed for free, you can download a soft copy from the internet. And we actually have 15 copies over here. So we're going to give half to the sisters and half to the brothers. What I'm going to ask is only parents should take this booklet, only parents should take this booklet. If the booklets run out, send me an email, and I'll send you a soft copy of the booklet or at least tell you how you can order a physical copy. This is where you will find techniques and how to speak to your youth, about your teenagers about
marijuana. We have a second resource over here, which is produced by Youth League, they're the partners of CPS. And these resources are just about more information. Pretty much everything that we've said, there's like a similar link that you can find on this with the exception of the Islamic component, the social component, the medical component, the you know, the the harms of it, the relationship with mental health and all those issues, you will find a link for it. We have 50 copies of these, again, we'll split half and half between the brothers and the sisters. What's not mentioned in these resources is how do we develop resilience? How do we develop more critical
thinking skills and making better decisions for ourselves? And this is why I just want to give three quick points to our youth that in life in general, just apply these two, three questions, right. Question number one, do I have the information that I need to make this choice? Do I have the information that I need to make this choice? Why is that important? Because you need to understand what the consequences of your choices? actually are. We spoke about the spiritual consequence. Can you imagine your Salah not being valid for 40 days, for 14 days straight, you're praying, you're praying, you're praying, but it's not having an effect. It's not being accepted? Why? Because you're
using drugs or you're using alcohol, right? That's just a spiritual reason not to do it. So make sure you have all the information that you need before you make a choice. Number two, how does this fit with my values, each and every one of us has a value system, we understand what is good, we understand what is bad. And the mistake that people make is that they're willing to compromise on their values. for other reasons, for the sake of fitting in. For the sake of loving the pain for the sake of trying something new. All of these reasons will be presented, you have to understand that your values are what make you as a as a person. That is the only thing that you have as an
individual is your values and never compromise on those values. So strong hold strong to those values that you have and never compromise on them. So number one, information, number two, your values. And number three, that even if you think you have enough information, even if you think you know what, I can let my value goes for a while. Allison, I know what Darla has internally placed inside of you, a system, a moral compass, that when you're about to do something wrong, your heart rate will go up, you will get nervous, you will start to feel sick to your stomach till you make that decision. That is your body telling you you shouldn't be doing this. So if you're going through
with it, just pay attention to how your body feels. If your body's telling you not to do it, it's telling you not to do it for a reason I shouldn't be here, I shouldn't be doing this, get out of that situation, get out of that situation. And what really, really helps is having a family member or a friend on standby. So what that means is you have your phone, and just as like a subtle clue word, maybe something like you know, something very obvious would be helpful. They come and pick you up right away. But you can make it even more. So if you're afraid that you know your friends are checking what you're typing on your phone. Make it even something more subtle. Just type the word
like clown or something where your family or your friends they know that you want to get out of the situation that you're in, they come and pick you up and take you somewhere else. You have that word to get out of that situation. At the end of the day, no matter what we tell you, you have to make these decisions for yourself. No matter what your parents enforce upon you. You will one day turn 18 and have the freedom to do in this country, whatever you like. But the only thing that will keep you in check is the reminder that one day you will stand in front of Allah subhanho wa Taala Have you prepared the answer? Right, that's the only thing I want to leave with as advice inshallah. So
again, we have these resources available, we will be giving them out. I just want to give one last push for our event next week, which is the role of Muslim women in the community that's going to be having happening on Friday night at 7pm at our new location in downtown 1009 Seventh Avenue. It is such an integral conversation to have
So we want all of our brothers and sisters to come out is going to be myself and three female panelists, sister Hideyoshi Sorolla, and sister squad. So please do come out and check that event out that 7pm next week in downtown, we want to leave the rest of the time for question and answers. If you want to write down something private, you can write it down on the piece of paper and send it up. If you have any question that you want to ask by hand, you can ask by hand we also have a mic available for our sisters inshallah and you can pose your question to all three of us are leaving open and then all three of us will give it a go inshallah. Xochimilco. So the first question is, why
did Canada legalize cannabis or marijuana in Canada?
Why did Canada do it? Why did Canada make marijuana legal? First of all, the number one reason why any law change happens in any country is if the majority of people are in support of it. So the bottom line was a majority of Canadians wanted it to happen since but 70% of people wanted it to happen. But if you look at what are the reasons why Canadians wanted this to happen, so there's a few, a few arguments, and many of them are, you know, even from an Islamic perspective, you can see a lot of
merit to some of the arguments. So some of the arguments that are made, that
the money that is used from marijuana being sold, is going into the hands of gangs and organized crimes. So one of the arguments was made was that if we do this, that money instead goes to the government and did decrease as a source of revenue for some of these gangs, it decreases a major source of revenue. Another argument that was made was that a lot of people who are using marijuana, it will become safer for them if it's legalized, because they the marijuana that they're getting on the streets, it could be contaminated, could have other drugs mixed into it, it could be more deadly, the dosage could be altered. And so they could have a lot worse medical problems. If it's
not legalized, and they felt that if it was legalized, then you can regulate it more, you can make it easier to make sure that kids aren't getting it. That was one of the arguments, I'm not commenting on this argument being valid or invalid. I'm saying this is what the argument was that that caused people to want to legalize it.
Now, then there's those are arguments that in general, if by the way, if we can keep the level of the noise down, I know some people are getting up to leave. But if we can keep the level of the noise down for the benefit of
inshallah, we're going to be praying Salah as well. And there's people who are already, you know, praying, so for everyone, just if you could keep the level of the noise down. So
the the other arguments that are used, bottom line is, some of them have stemmed from different philosophies, moral philosophies, right. So a big moral philosophy, for a lot of people in the West is the philosophy of liberalism, right? The idea that if I want to do something, and it brings me pleasure, and it's not hurting somebody else, nobody should prevent me from doing it. If I want to do something that brings me pleasure, nobody has the right to tell me not to do it. That fundamental philosophy drives a lot of the changes in policy. Now from an Islamic perspective, we have a very different view. We actually believe that if if you want to do something that brings you pleasure,
but it's not good for you spiritually, you're you can actually the way to become a better person is by actually controlling your desires, restraining your desires, there's no concept of restraining your desires and that other philosophy, right, so a big part of it is in Islam, we believe you should control your knifes you should do Mujahid that enough's. You should strive against your desires you should not do following your Shahada, your desires or your Hawa. Whereas for a lot of people who whose only value in society or whose only purpose in life is we're here in this worldly life, the only thing that we can do here is to maximize pleasure. Of course, they will want to do
that right. Now, as a statistic. 40% of Canadians have used marijuana at some point themselves. So already so many people were using it. And so for many people, they felt, look, if we allow alcohol, why aren't we allowing marijuana? So these are some of the arguments why people wanted to legalize it. Obviously, from an Islamic perspective, we have a critique of some of those arguments, some of the arguments, they may have merit, if it can be proven, that it prevents a mobster that it prevents a harm, right if you can actually decrease organized crime by doing this and regulated more so people are are being less harm. That would be an islamically acceptable argument. But there's
there's other arguments as well that, you know, from an Islamic standpoint, we wouldn't agree that
Just because something brings you pleasure and you want to do it, that therefore there's not a problem.
We have a question from the sisters in sha Allah.
Allah.
This is his question with hemp hearts or hemp seeds, are they able to be consumed protein shakes as food. They have 0.3% THC THC.
So in general, the the rulings in Islam are related to this the substance having an effect on the human being right. So some people say, well, even in orange juice, there's like a point 00 percent of alcohol, therefore should we not drink orange juice, right? The the Islamic rulings come into effect when that percentage is enough that if a person drinks it, it will actually cause intoxication. Now the Prophet Mohammed Sursum said that whatever intoxicated in large amounts,
massacre, kathira, hufa, pelajaran. Right. Whatever intoxicated in large amounts, and even a small amount is impermissible. Meaning that if there was something that if you, if you eat a lot of it, or you drink a lot of it, you'll get drunk, then even a small amount wouldn't wouldn't be permissible. Now, when it comes to orange juice, no matter how much orange juice you drink, you'll never have, you'll never get drunk, right? No matter how much of that hemp seeds you have, you won't have the hallucinations. Right. So that's the that's the principal ruling there.
Let's go back to the sisters.
As an international medical graduate, I've been offered a position as a clinical assistant and a cannabis clinic.
So there's a few things to consider. First of all, we talked about what the ruling would be for somebody to take, you know, the medication. And we said that, to prescribe medical cannabis, you have to follow certain guidelines, and the guidelines from the doctors are the same as the guidelines from the Islamic scholars really, that there you have to use it as a last resort for something that has been proven to have an indication. Right. So if somebody was staying within those guidelines, and was, you know, avoiding prescribing, you know, I would say take an extra cautious approach, right? So, for example, THC is the part of marijuana that causes the psychosis, right, it
causes the intoxicating effects. If a person says okay, I would try to avoid prescribing that unless it was absolutely necessary. You know, if a patient has debilitating pain, they've tried three other medications is still refractory to that. And then I would prescribe that in that situation. That's islamically that's considered boluda. It's a medical necessity. Or if somebody says, you know, I'm going to focus on prescribing CBD and those proven indications and it's not intoxicating. If somebody restrictive restricts themselves to those things that are proven, they're generally erring on the side of caution. The Prophet Muhammad SAW Some said in the halala they were in Al haram
obeying the halaal is clear. And the Haram is clear. Were they in a hermit mode? Mr. behat liahona kathira meanness and between those two, there's a gray area A lot of people may not know about it, right? Um, a lot of people may not know the answer, but a scholars or somebody who has a expertise they may know that okay, this thing that seems like it's in the gray area, maybe it's actually hard on this thing that seems like it's in the gray area maybe it's actually how long but obviously the the approach from the Prophet Mohammed system advisors in general for many Chabot hottie sobre la de Rio de right, somebody who avoids you know, is extra cautious about the gray area. They've protected
their Deen and their honor woman what coffee sugar hottie wha feel how long and whoever just always is in the gray area. They're always doing things in the gray area. They say, Okay, this is kind of unclear medical marijuana here or not. Okay, just prescribe it, just prescribe it. If you're if you're not being extra cost cautious and extra vigilant. You're gonna end up doing things that cross over into how long right so you want to be extra cautious about those things will
tell you
Yeah, so the question was
joking, joking and about to marijuana and saying hey, I'm going to go out and go smoke a joint haha. I'll just give it to you that as a call center gave it to the oma men can a human biller he will Yeoman acid failure could hiren Alia Smith, that if you believe in a lot, and you believe in his messenger and the Day of Judgment, than it is only that you speak good and proper, or you just don't say anything at all, it's a very simple principle. charma Zack law
Excellent.
Exactly. I definitely empathize with the the question. The question is, you know, like, when there's all this conflicting information out there, who do we trust? And so Paula, this is a, especially a difficulty in the times that we're living in the Profit System. Warren does that during the end of times, there would be many speakers, but few scholars, right, many, many people spreading information. And the Prophet Muhammad says and told us in the end of times, a lie would be considered a truth and a truth would be considered a lie. We're living in the age of alternative facts, right? We're living in an age where everybody makes up their own facts, right. So Paula, and
part of it also has to do with a culture of rejecting authority, right? Nowadays, the patient comes to the doctor, and the doctor says, this is your diagnosis, and this is the medication that you need. And the patient said, but I googled it. And I don't need that medication. Right. I googled it. I watched a YouTube video, and I saw an Instagram post. And I think you're trying to kill me. Right? So now the doctor doesn't know what to do, right? So there's this problem in society where you have many people who are speaking, they and many people may not be qualified. The important thing, you know, Muslims identified this problem early on, when people were narrating Hadid, they would say,
tell us, who did you hear from? Who named to us your snap? Where's your ages? And who is the one who taught you? So in the same way? Now, in the West, we have a concept of credentials, right? When when somebody gives you a claim, there's is it backed up by medical evidence? Is it coming from be, you know, published medical data that has been approved and become consensus guidelines published by doctors that are a practice across the country, right? So for example, the case of vaccines causing autism, this is, you know, a controversy that's been stirred up by many vocal celebrities. And a lot of people are influenced by this. But if you ask, you know, every Medical Council, you ask the
Canadian College of family doctors, you ask the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, you ask people who are licensed from these these regulatory bodies, they will say no, there's no evidence to that, because we have to follow the scientific evidence even Okay, marking the law said, Every claim has to be backed up by a either a direct evidence from logic or from senses from from your perception. And in medicine, we have a system to gather evidence. So if somebody claims that a medication works, we don't just give it to patients. First, you have to do something called a randomized clinical trial. So you take a large group of 1000s of people, and you give them that
medication. And you take another group of 1000s of people, and you give them something that looks exactly like that medication, but it's just an empty tablet. It's just sugar, and it's called a placebo. And then you see, does it actually have a proven benefit? Right, and both groups think they're taking the medication, right? And so with marijuana, they've done some of these trials, right? They've given some people THC, they've given some people placebo. And a lot of the claim benefits are not actually proven benefits when you do a scientific study will love the data on them. Now, your question is very important. And that is how do you help someone that is addicted to
marijuana, and cannabis? So inshallah we'll get a social perspective on that. And we'll also get a medicinal perspective on that.
I spoke the whole time. No, I don't have okay. So someone that's addicted, I think clearly understand, you have to take them to someone that's qualified. But the most important thing is getting them to understand that they need help. So here's multiple things that you need to understand. Number one, if it's someone that you know, and is a friend, continue being a friend for them, make them feel loved, make them feel as if they're not alone, make them feel that you have their best interests in mind. Number two, if it's someone young, speak to their parent. If it's someone older, then that's something that they have to get out on their own. And usually what they
end up doing nowadays is called an intervention. And that is to get everyone that cares about this person, all together in the room, that person comes to that place, and they pretty much share that, hey, I'm concerned about you. And this is why you need to seek help. The most difficult part of this process is the emotional support that these people need, because relapse is something that is very, you know, reoccurring. So we will need that support. Now what I would encourage this person with that in their darkest moments of darkness, is to seek help with Allah subhanho wa Taala and their faith as they're getting the psychological help that they need as well. That's just a quick summary
of what I wanted to share. That is a great question that you asked inshallah.
Exams around the
law said that cannabis is
people's brains. So are you like
Yes, so the question is our counselors at schools trained to deal with this. In Canada the law is still anyone under 18 is not allowed to consume it. So the counselors are trained into dealing with that situation. So yeah, feel free to speak your school counselor as well inshallah. So we're going to conclude with that guys just occurred to everyone that attended. If you have further questions, all three of us will be sticking around after salah and we will also go to the sisters side as well. So there if there are any questions we can answer them after Salah in sha Allah Subhana Coloma vmdk shadowline