What's the difference between illegal and immoral?

Illegal only means there is a law against doing it.

Immoral means something more like 'wrong' or unethical or going against nearly universal socially acceptable norms.

Some people don't find anything wrong with marijuana use, and can even be beneficial and humane for medical reasons, and think the law against it is overkill, illogical, unreasonable, and in cases of painful disease, forbidding its use is cruel and immoral.

Illegal means it's contrary to a formal law that exists.

Immoral means it's viewed as harmful and generally short-sighted / self-indulgent, but it's not necessarily illegal.

The guy you're talking about who went to jail would be saying he technically broke a law, but he doesn't think he does or did anything harmful to others or overly self-indulgent, etc., and that he's still a "good person." A comparison might be leaving a car parked at a parking meter and getting a ticket after the money runs out when you don't get back in time to refill it. You technically broke the law, but it doesn't automatically mean you're a "bad person."

For comparison, not working, drinking a lot of alcohol, and hanging out in strip clubs might be viewed as "immoral" by a number of people, but they're all legal.

Many things that are against the law -- especially the big things like murder, stealing, etc. -- would be viewed as "immoral" as well. But not everything that's immoral is illegal. And there are times things are illegal for various reasons but they're not necessarily "immoral." Your friend would be trying to say he's a situation that fits in the latter bracket. He broke a law, but he doesn't acknowledge the law he broke as being one that means he's a "bad person."

Illegal - any violation of a written law in a law book.

Immoral - any violation of an unwritten law governing personal behavior. Knowing right from wrong without regard to any written law.

Immoral usually, but not always, has to do with the Ten Commandments and personal behavior.

The person you know who went to jail may say he has morals even if he smoked MJ. Another person might say that your friend does not have morals if he smokes MJ. It's a PERSONAL opinion of the individual making the observation or judgement without regard to any written law.

If something is illegal, that simply means it is a violation of the law. Something can be immoral if it is against the general moral standard's and rules of our society. The moral rules of our society are based on the Bible. The ten commandment and other rules, mentioned in the Bible, make up the moral code of Western society. We must also consider that each man may have his own set of moral rules. A man may have no moral rules for himself, or his morals may be the exact opposite of another persons. The moral rules of the Bible are loosely shared by most people. Most people are taught that murder and stealing is wrong, but may have different views on the morality of abortion. The law in the United States is made to protect its citizens; not morality.

Illegal means it is against the law. Immoral means that it is wrong according to normal moral standards of society.

Morals are subjective. Meaning they are based on personal opinion. Laws are objective, meaning there is only one law.

For example. Both of our moms are sick. We have no money to pay for medicine and are presented with the opportunity to steal the medicine for them. I steal the medicine because I think it's immoral to let my mom die. You don't steal the medicine because you think it's immoral to steal. The law is the law--stealing is illegal. But our morality differs.

ABORTIONS are legal but immoral.

SEGREGATION is now illegal and immoral.

Blowing away a burglar/rapist who broke into your home in England is illegal but moral.

It is illegal to shoot your neighbor. It I'd not illegal to *want* to shoot your neighbor. Wanting to is immoral.