Marijuana

(The following is taken from an article by Joe Carter @ GospelCoalition.org)

Last November [(2013)], citizens of Colorado voted on Amendment 64, an amendment to their state’s constitution that would allow the “personal use and regulation of marijuana” for adults 21 and over, as well as commercial cultivation, manufacture, and sale, effectively regulating cannabis in a manner similar to alcohol. The first stores selling marijuana for recreational use officially opened on January 1, 2014.

While the new legislation applies only to Colorado (Washington state passed a similar measure, though marijuana is still illegal in all other states and at the federal level), Americans across the nation are beginning to examine questions related to the use of marijuana. For Christians, one of the most pertinent questions is whether the recreational use of marijuana is sinful. Although many Christians consider the answer to the question to be rather straightforward, it can be helpful to examine the reasoning process that allows us to determine how biblical principles can be applied to this issue.

What does the Bible say about marijuana? Like abortion, nuclear weapons, and many other modern controversies, the Bible does not specifically mention marijuana. However, some defenders of marijuana do appeal to the Bible—indeed, to the very first chapter—to make their case:

Gen 1:29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. 31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. [Was God saying that the ‘Cannibis’ herb/plant was ‘very good’?]

“Marijuana (Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, Cannabis ruderalis) is not sinful in itself. God created marijuana. It is an herb with medicinal purposes. When God created the herbs of creation, He remarked that they were all good, cannabis included.” (Dr. Taylor Marshall)

Since marijuana is indeed a seed-bearing plant we can legitimately consider whether God gave it to us for “food” [(meat)]. Before we do that, though, we should note how this claim undercuts the most popular form of recreational marijuana use: smoking. There are no other foods—even smoked salmon—that we consume by smoking them. So this defense can only apply to using marijuana that can be constituted as food and consumed in an edible [fashion]. Presumably, no one adds marijuana to brownies because it improves their flavor. The reason to add this particular plant to foodstuffs is because of its effect on senses other than taste. However, let’s assume that someone really does enjoy and gain some nourishment from eating marijuana leaves. Would that be a sin?

A thing can be essentially good but used wrongly. Lead is essentially good. However, if I poison your water with lead, that’s not good. If I shoot a pointed lead projectile (bullet) into your chest, that’s not good. God created hemlock. It’s good. But if you drink it like Socrates, you’ll die. Not good. So our argument about marijuana cannot center on the fact that “God created it, so it’s morally okay.” (Dr. Taylor Marshall) [The herb itself is morally ok, but to ingest it or smoke it might not be. There are a lot of ‘weeds’ that are poisonous to the body (i.e., poison ivy) and even though God created them, doesn’t mean that they are ‘good’ for us. I believe that Cannibis falls into this category. God cursed the ground with weeds; thus, Cannibis might be a curse, rather than a blessing. What we call “weeds” are by botanical category ‘herbs’. Marijuana is often referred to as ‘weed’.]

To provide an answer rooted in Scripture and Christian ethics we must use analogical reasoning. In his essay “The Place of Scripture in Christian Ethics,” James Gustafson states the commonly accepted method of scriptural analogy:

Those actions of persons and groups are to be judged morally wrong which are: a) similar to actions that are judged to be wrong or against God’s will under similar circumstances in Scripture, or b) are discordant with actions judged to be right or in accord with God’s will in Scripture.

While this may seem rather obvious, it raises the question of how we determine whether an action or circumstance is similar to an action judged to be wrong in Scripture. Legal scholar Cass Sunstein explains how we apply analogical reasoning:

This kind of thinking has a simple structure: (1) A has characteristic X; (2) B shares that characteristic; (3) A also has characteristic Y; (4) Because A and B share characteristic X, we conclude what is not yet known, that B shares characteristic Y as well.

Is there an analogical action that is judged to be wrong or against God’s will that is similar to the recreational use of marijuana? Indeed, there is a clear example that is mentioned frequently in the Bible: drunkenness. Drunkenness in the Bible is the state of being intoxicated by alcohol.

A (Intoxication by alcohol ingestion) has characteristic X (produces a psychoactive affect, that is, affects brain function, resulting in alterations in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition, and behavior.) [X (a ‘high’, intoxication) is related to Y (the action is sinful).] B (Intoxication by marijuana ingestion) shares that characteristic [(X)]; Because A and B share characteristic X, we conclude what is not yet known, that B shares characteristic Y (is an action that is judged to be against God’s will, i.e., is sinful).

Reasoning by analogy, we can determine that since it is sinful to become intoxicated by alcohol, it is sinful to become intoxicated by marijuana.

What Constitutes Intoxication? The analogical argument against recreational marijuana use appears rather incontrovertible. However, [some believe that even though] the Bible prohibits drunkenness, it does not prohibit all uses of alcohol—even those for recreational purposes. A person can consume small quantities of alcohol without any intention of becoming intoxicated. Can a person consume small quantities of marijuana without any intention of becoming intoxicated?

To answer the question we must determine the average quantity of the drug—alcohol or marijuana—needed to produce the impaired state.

For alcohol, the unit of measure is the “standard drink,” that is any drink that contains about 14 grams of pure alcohol (about 0.6 fluid ounces or 1.2 tablespoons). A standard drink is conventionally defined as the alcohol content of 12 ounces of 5 percent-alcohol beer or 5 ounces of 12 percent-alcohol wine or an ounce and half (a shot) of 40 percent-alcohol (80-proof) spirits (hard liquor). In most U.S. states, the legally defined level of intoxication typically occurs, depending on pacing, after four drinks for an average-sized woman or five for an average-sized man.

For marijuana, however, a much lower dosage is needed to induce a state of intoxication. Studies show that intoxication occurs at the ingestion of less than 7 mg of THC (the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana). That is approximately the equivalent to four puffs of a marijuana cigarette.

If the purpose of consuming the marijuana was for nourishment and taste, we would need to eat only an amount that would not cause the intoxicating effect – about 200 mg of marijuana leaves. In theory, then, it could be possible to ingest marijuana with no sinful intentions. But of course, in almost all cases, the recreational use of marijuana is done with the intention of achieving some level of intoxication. And if the intent of the recreational use of marijuana is to achieve some level of intoxication, then it is clearly a sinful motive and action.

(end Carter quotes)

“Drunkenness is evil because it blurs and muddies our highest faculty – rationality. Think about it. When a person is drunk, he resorts to how animals act. Drunk people act irrationally. Drunk people don’t use language properly. They don’t think logically. Their moral compass fades. They sometimes fail to control their bodily functions. They cannot operate cars or machines because their intellect has lost its facility. The more drunk you become, the less human you act.

Marijuana also inhibits the intellect. It doesn’t just provide a buzz (like drinking two beers). Marijuana inhibits the intellect. I grant that it may not be as bad as being stone cold drunk, but it’s still a “high” that inhibits the intellect.

Smoking marijuana is sinful to the extent that it inhibits the highest function of the soul [(our intellect)]. This would apply to cocaine, heroin, crystal meth, and other drugs. (Dr. Taylor Marshall)

My conviction is that the drinking of an alcoholic beverage (i.e., beer, liqour, wine) is sinful (of course it is dependent upon one’s heart, motive, desire, and not on the alcohol itself…for one could drink something with alcohol in it and not even realize it was there. But, not intending to get drunk does not get one off the hook. Why do people drink alcoholic beverages? For the taste? Mainly it is for the ‘effect’ of the alcohol. See the lecture on Alcohol in Apologetics I for more information.)

If you follow the above author’s line of thinking on ‘analogizing’, you could state: “Smoking Meth, snorting cocaine, or shooting up Heroine is ok as long as you don’t get intoxicated (high, drunk, buzzed)”. What would you think if a Christian (a godly Pastor) said that he just snorts a short line of cocaine in the morning to get him going for the day? You would say he’s crazy. (Forget about the legality issue…that’s not important to the moral principle here.) But, to take this to a level that will hurt most of our hearts, how many of us drink a 20 oz caffeinated drink in the morning for the same reasoning that this Pastor snorted cocaine?! Are we any different? Is it wrong to snort cocaine for this effect? What would happen if cocaine was legal? What would you do if Caffeine was illegal? Is it sinful to pay $5 for a triple-shot Mocha Cappucino from Starbucks or Tully’s? What about if you just ‘had to have’ one of these every morning or you couldn’t function? Does that sound a little bit like drug addiction? Why do you drink the caffeinated drinks? For the ‘effect’.

Thus, ingesting or smoking anything containing the drug THC (tetrahydrocannibol, Cannibis, Marijuana) is sin. For, otherwise you would have to say that it is fine and dandy before our holy God in heaven for a godly Pastor’s wife to roll and smoke a little ‘weed’ once getting home from a hard day at ‘church’ (just 2 or 3 puffs…not officially intoxicated). Would that be a concern to you? Would that be a concern to her husband? to her kids? to the neighbors? to the church folk?….

(The following is taken from an article by Brett McCracken in Christianity Today)

Medical marijuana is helpful for people in great pain, many of whom use the drug in the same way they would use a pain reliever like codeine. The difference between codeine and cannabis is that the latter has a very distinct, largely negative image in culture—an image that carries baggage and connotations Christians must consider if they are thinking of using marijuana, even for medical reasons. [Just so you know, marijuana (THC) does not have to be smoked; it can be ingested; there is Marinol (Dronabinol), which is a capsule form of THC which has been on the market for decades. The vast majority, if not all, of those wanting to smoke medical marijuana are those that want to get a legal high! How many medical marijuana users never smoked marijuana before? Probably next to none. Why would someone want to smoke a medicine? Where else is this done in the medical community? It is ridiculous!]

When I was in grad school, several of my colleagues smoked marijuana. I do not doubt that smoking marijuana relieved the aches and pains of my 20-something cohorts. But I wonder if “medical assistance” is the primary reason they were using it. More likely they consumed it in the way Oscar on Arrested Development did—enjoying “primo bud” under the auspices of the legal right to medical marijuana.

In California, the image of marijuana use, even for medical purposes, is mostly a joke. Pot smoking has long been associated with zoned out, disengaged, pleasure-seeking rebels always in search of a high. The image of medical marijuana is not much better. Walk down the Venice or Santa Monica boardwalk in L.A. and you will be bombarded with leaflets for the dozens of medical marijuana dispensaries in town. Affable hippies even call out, “Get your medical marijuana recommendation here!” The dispensaries are more like recreational amusement shops than clinics for the sick, and the overall culture is one of partying more than anything else. (end McCracken quotes)

“What about Medicinal Marijuana? If you’re going to pull a bullet from my arm and we have no painkillers, I’m getting drunk. And that’s okay. Same goes for the medicinal use of cocaine, opium, codeine, and marijuana. Of course, there must be a true medicinal cause. I don’t think that “having a headache” or “anxiety” is a just cause for smoking marijuana.” (Dr. Taylor Marshall)

I would have a lot less heartache with this issue if they took ‘Marinol’ (THC in a capsule). Also, view a person who is taking 10mg of Hydrocodone…they act a little goofy and ‘high’; but, its not scarey. But, Marijuana highs are very obvious and very weird…true, I don’t know how much they ingested…but, in the use of medical Marijuana, there is no one around governing how much of it you use at one time. It is highly addictive…so are Opiates, though. If I compromise my conviction some here, Medical Marijuana should be available only for those with irretractable sever pain from terminal cancer (and the like). It should not be just another pain reliever one can choose to take.

Christians are to be ‘blameless’; does a born-again Christian smoking Marijuana give any hint at all for a lost Christ-hating person to cast blame at them? Is it shining the light of Jesus?

Phil 2:15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

We are told to not be conformed to this world; is smoking Marijuana looked at as part of the world’s culture, or holy, godly Christian’s culture?

Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Is smoking Marijuana viewed by the lost as a ‘good work’?

1 Peter 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; 12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

Also, Marijuana has been long known as the ‘Gateway Drug’: it is often associated with and leads to harder drugs; those never intending on getting involved with Meth use, often will find themselves face to face with it because they smoke Marijuana…they smoke it with their friends…they go to parties where it is smoked…and where there’s smoke, there is ‘fire’ (harder drugs….at least people who use harder drugs).

“Are mind-altering drugs sinful? Many prescription drugs—like psychiatric drugs—can be mind-altering, and so are legal drugs such as tobacco and alcohol. Christians have reasonable arguments on both sides. But I think we can agree that one’s motivation is relevant. If someone puts their hope in mind-altering drugs, and these drugs become a way to turn away from the Lord, they are idolatrous and wrong. Even then, that does not mean that the person must stop taking the drugs. It means they must learn how to turn to the Lord in their troubles.” (Ed Welch of Christianity Today Magazine)

But, what happens if one enjoys the feeling they get with a certain drug (i.e., Marijuana)? What happens if they become psychologically addicted to it (thinking that they need the drug to function properly)? What happens when they become physiologically addicted to it (where their brain’s nerve endings …synapses…react in such a way that brings about a feeling of an urgent need for more of that drug)? Nobody starts using “Pot” in order to get hopelessly addicted to it. But, oh how many do indeed become addicted. How many people’s lives have been significantly hurt due to Marijuana use? A good question would be: “Which is worse… alcohol or marijuana?” How many people that get high on Marijuana go out and commit horrible crimes? Most just lay around and giggle, eat, and eventually fall asleep.