I have read about smoking being a mortal sin on other forums, and it seems there is no clear answer to this question. Some believe that smoking in excess is a mortal sin because it would violate the 5th commandment "thou shall not kill". Other think that smoking in excess is a venial sin because the addictiveness of smoking would lessen the culpability.

I'm pretty sure that smoking in excess is at least a venial sin. The Church teaches that tobacco and alcohol should be used with temperance. If one was to use alcohol in excess I can see how that would be a mortal sin. It causes drunkeness and drunkards do not see the Kingdom of Heaven [1 Corinthians 6:9-11]. Cigarettes/Cigars on the other hand do not really alter an individual's state of mind nor do they cause someone to dive into other sins. Plus I don't really think that the intent of the smoker is to commit ѕυιcιdє which would fall under the 5th commandment. So if the intent of the smoker is not to kill then how could the smoker be charged with killing? It would be like accidentally killing someone and going to hell over it. I'm not sure it quite works that way. The intent of the person was not to kill hence it was an accident. Smoking may kill, but it may not kill as well. I highly doubt smokers are trying to kill themselves. I don't think smoking excessively falls under the 5th commandment. You might argue that it falls into gluttony though.

There are 2 Papal Bulls condemning the use of the brown herb-- one of them to the point of ex-communication. Unfortunately no on has ever posted a copy of one. Neither has the Bull of Ben XIII been posted at cathinfo.

For that matter neither have the 10 Bulls of Clem V re: K Templars been posted.  :confused1:

Someone with access to this forum likely has an idea where to find English copies of the docuмents.  :detective:

Do u inhale?

But I doubt that smoking is, in and of itself, objectively mortally sinful.

You DOUBT?  LOL!  I am absolutely CERTAIN that smoking, in and of itself, is not sinful in any way, shape or form.

What next?  Is someone going to ask whether or not eating at McDonald's, while arguably unwise, is mortally sinful?  Will we see a list of all McDonald's items with some kind of sin-rank next to each one?  

McDonaldland Cookies...low-grade venial sin...
Six-piece McNuggets...mid-level venial sin...
Quarter Pounder Meal...high-level venial sin...
Any Super-sized meal...low-grade mortal...
Multiple Big Macs...just kill yourself now and burn forever you stultified glutton!

People, smoking -- IN SE -- is NO SIN AT ALL.

St Pius X used to smoke a pipe, didn't he?

Well since God made it I can't imagine why there should be a problem providing it is used responsibly.  

Marsha

God made a lot of things that aren't good for us to use.  Remember the apple on the tree of life? Or poisonous mushrooms.  Or arsenic.  Just because it grows on the earth does not mean it's good for us.  Plus, we tend to have a habit of refining things to the inth degree to increase it's potency and ability to be shipped around the world: tobacco, sugar, cocoa, coffee and of course drugs in all their various forms.

I feel sorry for smoking addicts.

I've never been addicted, but there have been times when for some inexplicable reason I would buy a large bag of pipe tobacco and smoke non-stop for days.

Then I stopped.  It must address some neuro-chemical problem.

Cigarettes are beyond my ken.  

Maybe it had to do with anxiety?

No, I don't think so.  I think it had more to do with needing a stimulant.  I was losing weight at the time as well, thought I wasn't really thinking about that when I bought it.