Cannabis, Sacred and Profane

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Members of several religious traditions use psychoactive substances including in modern occultism and the contemporary sacramental uses of peyote in the Native American Church, ayahuasca in Santo Daime, and cannabis in Rastafarianism. In recent decades, there has been a growing interest in the interpretation of drug-induced altered states as significant moments of transcendence. Cannabis, Religion and Profane is a detailed analysis of one of the most frequently-used, culturally-significant, and widely-discussed psychoactives in the West. Beginning with an overview of the debates about the religious interpretation of drug-induced mystical experience, the book goes on to provide a broad introduction to the pharmacology, history, and culture of cannabis use. Following a discussion of Orientalist perceptions of the use of the drug in Asian religions, it looks at the reception of cannabis in a number of faith traditions. Christopher Partridge also discusses the interpretation of cannabis as a 'technology of transcendence' in psychiatry and philosophy, which has informed its reception in the West and its religious interpretation. Next he explores its use in esotericism and the counterculture. Enthographic material informs the discussion throughout the text.. Overall, the book provides an understanding of the significance and creation of contemporary cannabis culture. It shows - from the perspective of religious studies - how the experience of 'being high' has been interpreted.