Fatwa ID: 08347

 

 

Answered by: Maulana Yusuf Badshah

 

Question:

 

I’ve been offered a job after waiting a while in the medical field for an online registered pharmacy, as a patient coordinator but I wanted to double check it was okay for me to work for the company as it is a medical registered cannabis company for patients who have tried other forms of medication for their condition but unfortunately has not worked so come through to us for medical registered cannabis.

I’ve done as much research as I can and as this is medicinal use and we have a team of doctors and health care professionals on the team that make sure each patient is deemed suitable for this medical cannabis, I just wanted to double check this would be in line with Islamic teachings as I did not want to start a job if it wasn’t halal.

 

The company I would be working for is called Alternaleaf/Montu, and I would be dealing with patient enquires/concerns regarding their prescriptions or any medications etc.

 

 

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

 

Answer:

 

Cannabis, being an intoxicant, is generally impermissible, and thus would only be permitted in the case of necessity [1]. Thus, for its medical use to be permitted, it must first be established that it is an effective treatment for the client’s illness, that there is no Halal alternative which the client has not yet tried, that they are only prescribed the amount required to cure the illness and that they stop taking it once the illness is cured [2].

 

Therefore, as a patient coordinator, your job will only be acceptable provided the medical research into the effectiveness of cannabis as a cure for the relevant illnesses is conclusive and provided you and the doctors prescribing the prescriptions do your best to ensure that all of the above conditions apply to each patient. Otherwise, you would be facilitating the impermissible distribution and consumption of intoxicants.

 

Either way, due to the risks involved and the nature of the job, one should strive to look for an alternative job that does not primarily entail administering impermissible intoxicants [3].

 

 

References:

 

[1] Surah Al-Ma’idah 90-92:

{ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنَّمَا الْخَمْرُ وَالْمَيْسِرُ وَالْأَنصَابُ وَالْأَزْلَامُ رِجْسٌ مِّنْ عَمَلِ الشَّيْطَانِ فَاجْتَنِبُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ ۞ إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ الشَّيْطَانُ أَن يُوقِعَ بَيْنَكُمُ الْعَدَاوَةَ وَالْبَغْضَاءَ فِي الْخَمْرِ وَالْمَيْسِرِ وَيَصُدَّكُمْ عَن ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَعَنِ الصَّلَاةِ ۖ فَهَلْ أَنتُم مُّنتَهُونَ ۞ وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَاحْذَرُوا ۚ فَإِن تَوَلَّيْتُمْ فَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا عَلَىٰ رَسُولِنَا الْبَلَاغُ الْمُبِينُ ۞}

 

[2] Surah Al-An’aam 119:

{ … وَقَدْ فَصَّلَ لَكُم مَّا حَرَّمَ عَلَيْكُمْ إِلَّا مَا اضْطُرِرْتُمْ إِلَيْهِ … }

 

Surah Al-Baqarah 173:

{ … فَمَنِ اضْطُرَّ غَيْرَ بَاغٍ وَلَا عَادٍ فَلَا إِثْمَ عَلَيْهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ۞}

 

Sahih Al-Bukhari 5686:

حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا هَمَّامٌ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ أَنَّ نَاسًا، اجْتَوَوْا فِي الْمَدِينَةِ فَأَمَرَهُمُ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنْ يَلْحَقُوا بِرَاعِيهِ ـ يَعْنِي الإِبِلَ ـ فَيَشْرَبُوا مِنْ أَلْبَانِهَا وَأَبْوَالِهَا، فَلَحِقُوا بِرَاعِيهِ فَشَرِبُوا مِنْ أَلْبَانِهَا وَأَبْوَالِهَا، حَتَّى صَلَحَتْ أَبْدَانُهُمْ

 

Raddul Muhtar, vol. 6, pg. 56, Darul Fikr:

مِمَّا فِيهِ ضَرُورَةٌ ظَاهِرَةٌ تُبِيحُ الْخُرُوجَ عَنْ أَصْلِ الْمَذْهَبِ مِنْ طُرُوُّ الْمَنْعِ

 

[3] Surah Al-Baqarah 219:

{ يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْخَمْرِ وَالْمَيْسِرِ ۖ قُلْ فِيهِمَا إِثْمٌ كَبِيرٌ وَمَنَافِعُ لِلنَّاسِ وَإِثْمُهُمَا أَكْبَرُ مِن نَّفْعِهِمَا ۗ وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ مَاذَا يُنفِقُونَ قُلِ الْعَفْوَ ۗ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمُ الْآيَاتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَفَكَّرُونَ ۞}

 

Sunan Abi Dawud 3674:

حَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعُ بْنُ الْجَرَّاحِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ بْنِ عُمَرَ، عَنْ أَبِي عَلْقَمَةَ، مَوْلاَهُمْ وَعَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْغَافِقِيِّ أَنَّهُمَا سَمِعَا ابْنَ عُمَرَ، يَقُولُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ “‏ لَعَنَ اللَّهُ الْخَمْرَ وَشَارِبَهَا وَسَاقِيَهَا وَبَائِعَهَا وَمُبْتَاعَهَا وَعَاصِرَهَا وَمُعْتَصِرَهَا وَحَامِلَهَا وَالْمَحْمُولَةَ إِلَيْهِ ‏”

 

 

Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.

Written by Maulana Yusuf Badshah

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham