Marijuana is Good

Part One

 

Marijuana comes from a plant. A plant God created. Everything God made was good (Gen. 1;29). Therefore, marijuana is good. Every part of God’s creation was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). There can be no question that marijuana is good. Does this mean that it is good to smoke or eat? Before we answer that question, we first must learn what marijuana is?

What is Marijuana?

Marijuana comes from the hemp plant known as cannabis sativa. Its active chemical is: delta-9- tetrahydrocannabinol or more simply THC.

Of all the street drugs marijuana is by far the most popular. It is openly admitted by nearly half of Americans that they have tried marijuana at least once. More and more middle and high school age children are trying marijuana.

The most common way marijuana is ingested in the body is by smoking hand-rolled cigarettes called “joints.” Sometimes pipes are used. Blunts are made to smoke by removing the tobacco from cigars and refilling them with marijuana. Some use water pipes called “bongs” or vaporizers to inhale marijuana vapor instead of the smoke. Others eat marijuana laced brownies, cookies or candy. And it is drank in the form of a tea.

The most effective way to get THC quickly into the blood stream is through the lungs by smoking. It is absorbed much more slowly by eating and drinking. THC reacts by subduing the communication between brain cells. The result of enough THC affecting the user’s brain, they will experience a “high.” During this, high moods are altered, memory is impaired, thinking and solving problems becomes difficult, the sensory of sight is altered resulting is a distortion of colors, physical movement can be impaired. A warped sense of time, as well as paranoia and irritability may be experienced. Some believe there are positive effects of this high in that they have an heighten feeling of joy, become more relaxed, and undergo increased introspection.

Heavy users of marijuana have reported a decrease in physical and mental health, a greater likelihood of dropping out of school early, difficulty maintain relationships, less satisfaction with life in general, and more job tardiness and work related accidents.

Various Arguments Supporting Marijuana

■ Medical Marijuana One of the most common and effective arguments used to support the legalized use of marijuana is the supposed medical benefits. In states were it has been legalized are corner “Medical Marijuana Dispensaries.” It is believed that marijuana helps with glaucoma, a disease where the optic nerve is damaged. Cancer patients use it to help with the pain and nausea brought on by chemotherapy. Those suffering from multiple sclerosis, to alleviate muscle stiffness. There is nothing wrong with the use of drugs for medical needs. However, medical science has not discovered all the effects of marijuana on the human body. The plant cannabis sativa has more than four hundred different chemicals. Most of these have yet to be thoroughly studied.

As of January 2017 twenty-nine states plus the District of Columbia have legalized the use of medical marijuana. Much of the effort to legalized marijuana for medical use is but a stepping-stone to legalize it for recreational use. Even so, medical prescriptions for marijuana can be easily obtained from doctor. These in turn can be used for recreational purposes.

■ Alcohol and Tobacco Some believe that since other more harmful drugs (like alcohol and tobacco) are legal, marijuana should be legal as well. Whether of not these drugs are more harmful still begs the question as to whether or not God gave us marijuana to smoke or to drink. The fact is drinking and smoking marijuana is wrong for the same reasons it is wrong to smoke tobacco or drink alcohol.

■ Legalization Will Reduce Crime Some believe that the most dangerous thing about marijuana is getting caught with it. They feel that legalizing it will result in less crime. No matter what, criminals will always find a way to make money illegally. Those who are looking for a high will have to have more and harder drugs. Legalization will not resolve over crowding in our prison system. The fact is that less than 0.1% of the current state prison population is serving time for crimes involving first time marijuana possession charges.

Marijuana is Good, but…

✘ Marijuana is Not Good for Law Abiding Citizens

Christians are commanded by God to obey the Laws of man. “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God” (Romans 13:1).

Marijuana can slow the reaction time and impair the vision of drivers. In states where marijuana has been legalized, accidents have increased. Being slower at braking and having trouble changing lanes have been common problems among drivers under the influence of marijuana. Some states have enacted rules regulating the legal levels of THC in the bloodstream. Paul Arentano is the deputy direct of the Washington D.C. based National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. Even though Armentoano advocates the legalization, he wrote, “there is currently no practical method for law-enforcement officers at the scene to collect blood samples from suspected DUI cannabis drivers in a timely manner.”

✘ Marijuana is Not Good to Eat or Inhale

Marijuana as a plant is good. Plants are not inherently evil. But not all plants are good to be ingested. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was created by God and good. But not good to eat. Adam and Eve took something good and misused it. We cannot eat, drink or smoke something just because God made it. The consumption of the fruit of the Castor Bean plants (which produces the poison ricin), or Mistletoe, Honeyvine, Giant Hog Weed or dozens of other plants that are known to be toxic to man. Eating or smoking even something as common as poison ivy can lead to great discomfort and even death. It is true that God said, “behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them as food” (Genesis 1:29). This verse does not demand that all parts of the plants be eaten, nor does it necessarily demand that all of the plants be eaten. For example, one might eat an apple from an apple tree, but never eat the tree trunk, limbs or leaves. We eat corn, but not the cob, husks or stalk. Using this verse to suggest God okays the consumption of marijuana ignores the obvious fact that cannabis is typically smoked rather eaten as food.

✘ Marijuana Is Not Good for Servants of God

Despite the arguments made by advocates of legalization, marijuana can be addictive. Research has shown that one out of every eleven users become addicted. There is a one and six chance for those who start using while still teenagers. The addicted who stop using marijuana have the following symptoms: anxiety, insomnia, decreased appetite, grouchiness, cravings, etc. One does not have withdraw symptoms without first being addicted.

Marijuana has long been known as a threshold drug. After one uses it for a while, it begins to take more and more marijuana to achieve the same high. Stronger drugs are required to produce the desired high, such as, speed, cocaine, and crack. Christians are to be slaves to God and righteousness not slaves to sin and lusts of the flesh. “For by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved” (2 Peter 2:18). The best way to prevent addiction is never to begin using marijuana