Friday, February 27, 2009

Marijuana Legalization Update

Studies and polls are trending toward the legalization of marijuana. Christians already oppose abortion, in fact, abortion is the biggest opposition in the political or moral arenas for US Christians. In comparison, how will Christians react to the legalization of marijuana and the possible legalization of all illicit drugs?

You can read the latest polls here.

Love to hear your thoughts?

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posted by Jeff Flowers 1:09 PM

14 Comments:

  • I personally won't use pot if it's legalized, but I will rejoice when we stop clogging up the justice system over a "drug" that's less harmless than caffeine.

    Cannabis has so many uses beyond "getting high." And we're at a loss as a society due to prohibition. Hemp and Cannabis are really useful products that could potentially increase our GDP exponentially if we allowed it to be grown and researched!

    And the simple fact is that there isn't any evidence that Marijuana use is actually "bad" for you (aside from some studies where they basically suffocated monkeys by forcing them to breath 300x the amount of THC that's in a typical joint and in the process deprived them of oxygen which lead to brain-cell death).

    Furthermore, I'd love to see the police and other government agents able to focus on real crimes rather than chasing potheads around.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, At February 27, 2009 at 1:57 PM  

  • Are you serious? Since when did caffeine alter your dexterity or mobility? Marijuana might be on par with alcohol in that regard, but how do you suppose that smoking anything isn't "bad" for you. Use your common sense the Lord gave you; How many crimes are committed due to the influence of alcohol alone? Why would you surmise that legal authorities could focus on real crimes when all you would be doing in essence is adding fuel to the fire?

    Listen, if the U.S. legalizes pot it is only a give in to more liberalism which is STILL in the minority.

    However, Christians will probably react the way they have for over fifty years; loudly in the confines of the church walls and silently in the public squares where it matters most. (Shhhhh....you can't say that, you're being intolerant!)Think about it...

    Shane

    By Anonymous Anonymous, At February 27, 2009 at 2:46 PM  

  • Shane,

    There are more documented deaths due to overdoses of caffeine in one year than the total amount of pot overdoses in the history of medicine(that number is still ZERO).

    Also, the reason tobacco rots your lungs and gives you cancer is because it contains carcinogenic material- those materials are not found in cannabis. The only pot smokers who get cancer have been smoking tobacco as well.

    My wife is taking a drug called "Prometrium" which causes her to get sleepy & effects fine motor skills (there's a warning label, don't drive or operate machinery). But it also helps her reproductive system fight against poly-cystic ovarian syndrome.

    Should we outlaw it simply because a side effect is some lethargy? No. You simply don't drive when you take it! Everyone knows that.

    **
    TRAILER:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HLzmH9VB6A

    **
    MOVIE:
    http://theunionmovie.com/TheUnionWeb.html

    **

    Watch this documentary sometime with a mind open to the possibility that not everything we believe about marijuana is true. It will change the way you think about "drugs" and why they are actually illegal.


    ONE more thought:
    Since Pot is illegal, chances are if my son wants to go buy some, he'll buy it from someone who has other illegal drugs to introduce him to. No one gets hooked on crack because they started drinking alcohol (because bars aren't filled with bartenders trying to get their clients hooked on the next big fix). If we made pot legal, there's a chance that our children would actually be PROTECTED from a lot of the harder drugs that are only available to them because purchasing pot requires them to go to an unregulated source.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, At February 27, 2009 at 3:45 PM  

  • Nathan,

    Would you say there was a difference between an accidental and/or intentional "overdose" of caffeine (which by the way, I've never heard of someone dying due to a caffeine overdose, but I will take your word for it...) and a person who socially drinks alcohol and sits down behind the wheel of their car and causes a fatal accident to themselves or worse someone else?

    As for your wife, she is obviously taking the script at the advisement of her Dr. and according to the directions provided. A responsible act by a RESPONSIBLE person.

    That's not what we are dealing with here....

    Think of the person who is going to purchase Marijuana OTC.

    You self-admitted in your original post that you would not take part. Why is that? For some health reason? Maybe moral reason? Or even spiritual reason?

    I am sure you do not purchase alcohol either with the intention of getting wasted, but think of the multitudes who do.

    That's the mentality of those I speak of. Not upstanding people like you or your wife.

    Nathan, the fact is that the Bible specifically states:

    "Wine is a mocker, Strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise." Prov. 20:1

    Why, because it "alters your mind" and people who drink of it intentionally, are seeking this reaction. Challenge that, PLEASE? (I triple-dog dare ya'...lol!)

    Can marijuana be any less an evil?

    The truth is that whatever people do in moderation, their children will do in excess. Think about it...

    In closure, your last paragraph says it all. According to your logic and tolerance, Crack should be legalized and available OTC by 2030 just in time for your grandchildren to hit their local "Convenience" store.

    Convenient, isn't it??

    Not to me...and not on my watch!

    Shane

    By Anonymous Anonymous, At February 27, 2009 at 4:37 PM  

  • Shane,

    First off, great conversation. Since we're brothers (in Christ) I want you to know that I'm not "fighting" you on this and I'm glad for your perspective. So, thanks for responding.

    Your first question was: Why won't I partake in marijuana use if/when it's legalized?

    You know, I drink an alcoholic beverage every once and a while with my wife (in the confines of our home), but I usually avoid drinking in public or in front of other Christians because as you've pointed out, those who are weaker in the faith might use it as a license to get drunk. So, I don't think it's particularly sinful to have a drink, but obviously it's not in my best interest to give anyone reason to doubt God or their own faith because of a drink on my part, so I refrain when anyone is around who might stumble because of it. For those same reasons, I'd refrain from smoking pot, too. Also, I don't really like smelling like smoke- it takes forever to wash it out of my clothes.

    You also mentioned that whatever a generation does, their children will do more of it...

    This may be my rash libertarian streak, but I'm not in favor of imposing laws simply because we assume that our children are going to make bad choices if we give them freedom. We can't legislate morality. Morality is a matter of the heart first, not the law.

    I think it would be helpful to consider also Paul's admonition to Timothy- "Stop drinking only water, but use a little wine for your stomach because of your frequent illnesses."

    There's a key in this verse that's where I think we'll find some of the correlations between using something appropriately and inappropriately.

    If Timothy had been a cancer patient longing for some relief from the pains of the disease, Paul may have very well written to him (this is assuming that marijuana was legal) "For goodness sake, take a little marijuana so that your pain may be eased and you may continue the work the Lord has for you."

    To others, however, he would write, "For the sake of your brother who has a problem keeping himself under control, refrain from smoking pot. You don't want to cause your brother to stumble."

    I'm not trying to be blasphemous here by adding marijuana into our holy scriptures- I do so by metaphor only so that I can draw the correlation.

    Anyone can (and will) find a way to abuse just about anything in the world if they can find the ways and means to do so. All of the things that God created can be corrupted and used for evil rather than good. I could eat a lot of chocolate and die from obesity. I could drink so much coffee, daily, that I build up a dependency and have a problem coping with other people until I've had my "fix." I could use what power and influence I have to manipulate other people and hurt them.

    But simply because I could make bad choices with these elements- should that be cause to outlaw chocolate, coffee, and influence?

    Surely not.

    God called us to use and enjoy what He's given us- as long as we use them appropriately.

    You've seen all the ways people could abuse hemp, but have you stopped to consider all the ways that people could use Hemp for GOOD.

    Aside from pain relief for cancer patients, here's some ways that people have used and are using the HEMP plant:

    paper (I believe that both The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were both written on hemp), Coffee filters, Newsprint, Cardboard, Packaging, Cooking oils, Salad dressing/oils, BIO-EFA food oil, Margarine, Vitamins/Food supplements, Granola, Bird seed. Flour, Soap, Shampoo, Bath/shower gels, Hand cream, Diapers, Fabrics, Canvas, Rope, Carpet, Geotextiles, Brake/clutch linings, Caulking, Agro-fiber composites. Oil paints, Varnishes, Printing ink, Fuel, Solvents, Lubricants, Putty, Coatings, Molding, Pultrusion, Biocomposite, Ethanol/biofuel, Erosion control, Fiber board, Insulation, Fiberglass subsitute, Hempcrete (almost as strong as concrete), and Stucco and mortar

    In fact, before Hemp was outlawed in the United States, Scientific American was certain that the uses for Hemp were almost limitless. There was innovation and excitement and people explored ways to use this plant that God had created.

    All this to say- I'm sure that some people will abuse marijuana just as some people abuse EVERYTHING that God's given us.

    But I don't see any reason for us to lose out on all the good things that might come from the Hemp Plant. I don't see why we need to let a bunch of slackers (who are probably going to find ways to get high anyhow) ruin what God created and called good.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, At February 27, 2009 at 10:54 PM  

  • since when did Pot and Abortion get used in the same sentence. One is murder, the other is a bad decision, neither are right... but let us pick our fights.

    By Blogger Unknown, At February 28, 2009 at 3:06 AM  

  • I imagine over time it will be no different than alcohol and bars on every street corner.

    In terms of caffeine being worse than marijuana, I happen to know someone who is seriously mentally disabled as a result of using it.

    And let's not forget the term gateway drug. Even though the numbers may not seem significant, the big picture tells a different story.

    By Blogger Andy, At March 3, 2009 at 4:57 PM  

  • Oh, and Steven...

    Both are sin, bottom line. Religiously, politically, personally, saying one deserves mention before the other would be contrary to the teaching of the Bible. It's human nature to say one is worse than the other, but the Bible paints a different picture.

    By Blogger Andy, At March 3, 2009 at 5:02 PM  

  • This comment has been removed by the author.

    By Blogger Unknown, At March 11, 2009 at 12:37 PM  

  • Eph 5:18 "do not be drunk with wine, instead be filled with the Spirit"

    The intent and extent of biblical instruction would seem to cover the misuse of marijuana as well. It may have positive uses in medicine/hospitalization/hospice care and the like, so just like wine it, in and of itself, is not sinful and may have some beneficial uses. However, it's mind-altering effects certainly restrict its usage for those seeking to "Love the Lord" with their "whole heart, soul, and MIND"

    By Blogger Unknown, At March 11, 2009 at 12:44 PM  

  • Everyone is making great points. Eph 5:18 works eral well here. I think the key is to be smart about whatever you do. Treat you body as it is the Temple of Christ. It does not say dont drink wine but it does say do not be drunk with wine.

    Another one that we sometime get confused and tons of discussion about it 1Tim 6:10 "For the love of money is the root of all evil;..." money its self is not evil but the love of it is. Can this not apply here as well. The use of pot or alcohol (choose your sudstance) is not evil but the love of it is.

    I believe for one to abuse they would alomst have to love it. Isn't that what the abusers usually say? "I love my alcohol!" "I love to have a smoke..." They fall into that devilish trap.

    If they legalize marijuana then my feeling is tax it heavily unless it is use for medical reason and make to where when you have a script to use medically that tax is not there.

    By Blogger Unknown, At March 11, 2009 at 9:10 PM  

  • Why comment and debate. Aren't you a pastor? Take a stand. I work in the ER, and and I can tell you that I will always have job security because of the idiots smoking a "little marijuana" and then...deciding to throw a little paint thinner in the bonfire...take a knife across one's face including the eye because of a little marijuana...raping the little kid in the bedroom because of...a little marijuana...Anything that would cloud your judgment is wrong and illegal i might add. It's time for pastors and Christians to take a stand and stop posting discussions to the matter.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, At March 15, 2009 at 9:46 PM  

  • Legalization of marijuana doesn't imply that all drugs will be legalized, just as legalization of gay marriage doesn't mean people will be marrying dogs and sheep. The slippery slope argument is one that people often default to when cornered but usually has little merit.

    By Anonymous Aaron, At April 8, 2009 at 9:12 AM  

  • Aaron misses a huge point here. The slippery slope argument here doesn't necessarily infer further illegal drug legalization. It does, however, infer what is proven to be true, namely that the use of marijuana leads to the abuse of other illegal drugs. Most drug addicts cut their teeth on marijuana (and a few other starter drugs yet marijuana tops the list). Legalization will lead to increased drug abuse. There is your slippery slope.

    By Blogger Unknown, At April 13, 2009 at 12:53 PM  

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