[burkhartdesu]

TOKYO - A Buddhist monk was arrested Wednesday for growing cannabis marijuana near his temple in northern Japan, a police official said.

Michimaru Obara, 48-year-old monk at Eikoji shrine in Iwate prefecture (state), is suspected of cultivating about 5.3 pounds of marijuana, according to a police official who refused to give his name due to policy.

Authorities also suspect the monk sold at least 1.7 ounces of the illegal plant to an office worker near Tokyo, the official said.

Obara has already been arrested for drug possession, after police found marijuana at his home last month. The monk has admitted he cultivated the plant for personal and religious consumption, but denies selling his harvest, reports said.

Drug penalties in Japan are harsh. Convicted drug users face up to life in prison under anti-narcotics laws, although most first-time offenders get suspended prison terms.



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Thoughts?
Is Marijuana for religious use acceptable?


Some Buddhist priests believe it to be the most holy of plants, and there are many written records that suggest that the founder of Buddhism, Gautama Siddhartha, lived primarily on marijuana seeds and leaves in the years before his enlightenment. Recently 2,700 year old marijuana was found in Yanghai Tombs near Turpan, China.

Rastafarians and some modern Gnostic Christians believe that the Tree of Life referred to in one Biblical passage ("the leaves of the Tree of Life [that] are for the healing of the nations”) refers to the marijuana plant.

Some historians believe that oil derived from marijuana seeds was a central ingredient in Jewish and Christian holy anointing oils. Some of the healing miracles of Jesus have even been attributed to the anointing oils – the drug can take effect through skin absorption, and marijuana can relieve the effects of glaucoma, skin ailments and menstrual pains.

There is a long history of marijuana associated with Hinduism, since about 1500 BC by some records. It is most commonly consumed in a drink called bhang, mixed in with spices, milk and sugar and drunk during Holi and Baisakhi, key festivals of the Hindu religion. The marijuana plant is associated with the god Shiva, and many Shiavites smoke it in clay pipes called chillums, believing it to be a gift from Shiva to help humans reach a higher spiritual level.