We must remember what we learned in the 1960s, marijuana must not be for recreational use
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During the heady days of the psychedelic movement of the 1960s while two professors at Harvard University (Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert) were researching the use of LSD and other drugs and, based upon the results, suggesting (mistakenly) that mind-altering drugs (such as LSD, marijuana and others) could help in attaining higher states of consciousness or “spiritual enlightenment.”
A revered spiritual Master, Meher Baba, who lived a life of love and selfless service just as Jesus did, sent word out from India to the West: NO DRUGS. At Meher Baba’s direction, the message was delivered in the mid-late 1960s, primarily by three young men who had connected with Meher Baba, either through letter or in person (Allan Y. Cohen, Ph.D., Robert Dreyfuss, and Rick Chapman).* The message they (and others) delivered from Meher Baba took the steam out of the psychedelic movement and saved a generation of young people.
Meher Baba told Robert Dreyfuss, “ … if drugs could make one realize God, then God is not worthy of being God.” He also said to him, “Tell those who indulge in these drugs (LSD, marijuana, and other types) that it is harmful physically, mentally and spiritually, and that they should stop the taking of these drugs….” To a question a young woman asked Meher Baba in a letter, He responded, “All psychedelic drug use is dangerous, and in the long run is harmful, irrespective of whether it is motivated by spiritual aspirations or otherwise. … marijuana, LSD and other psychedelic drugs should never be used, except when prescribed by a professional medical practitioner in the case of serious mental disorder under his [or her] direct supervision.”
As the legislators of our beloved commonwealth consider once again whether to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, the message Meher Baba sent previously to the West still rings true: No drugs for recreational use. Drugs only for medical use when prescribed by a professional medical practitioner.Heeding this guidance will not only save another generation but also relieve the suffering of those who need medical help.
Rev. Alta Burnett, Ph.D. was born and reared on a small farm near Paducah, Rev. Dr. Alta Burnett is a long-time resident of Louisville. She has a Ph.D. in entomology and is a retired Unity minister who first learned of Meher Baba in 1990.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Marijuana is not spiritual and must not be recreational in Kentucky
