What does Buddhist practice teach about using cannabis for stillness and meditation?

This is where I sit with real honesty. Buddhist practice traditionally emphasizes clarity of mind—the fifth precept cautions against intoxicants that cloud consciousness. That matters. But I also know that for some people, cannabis can genuinely reduce the noise enough to *enter* stillness they couldn't access before. The question becomes: what are you using it for? If cannabis is helping you sit because anxiety or physical restlessness usually keeps you pacing, that's one thing. You're using it as a temporary scaffold to taste what calm feels like, then gradually building that capacity without it. That's medicine. But if you're using it to *feel* like you're meditating—achieving a pleasant floating state without the actual work of attention—that's different. Buddhist practice asks us to be intimate with what's actually here, including discomfort. Cannabis can sometimes let us bypass that intimacy. My suggestion: use it occasionally, intentionally, and with clear eyes about what you're doing. Perhaps once a week, sit in stillness *without* cannabis, and notice the difference. Let cannabis remind your body what relaxation feels like, but let practice teach your mind. Over time, you'll likely find you need it less. The goal isn't a substance-free zone, but a practice where you're awake to what's actually happening.