Parenting in the Haze of Legalized Marijuana

Jim,

I strongly support keeping marijuana illegal. But I’m open to looking at changing some of the penalties of marijuana possession.

For example: “But by keeping marijuana illegal, we can better develop ways to discourage its use. A system of increasing fines, penalties and requirements, like substance-abuse counseling, can be developed. Penalties even could include the loss of one’s driver’s license. Jail could be a last resort for habitual offenders.” -Barrett Duke, BP; Sep 4, 2012

David R. Brumbelow

I agree with what Dave and Mike have added. It seems much of marijuana’s medicinal use could be (indeed is) a ruse at worst, and just unnecessary at best. Definitely a can-o-worms in the matters of the Christian faith! Ultimately, some of these things must fall through the sieve that is matters-of-the-heart, which only God sees.

Just a thought: I find it ironic that as prescription drugs moved into realm of the street; we now have what originated as a street drug moving into the realm of the “prescription”.

MN Families Make Tough Move To Colo. For Medical Marijuana

The Jay family made the move a few weeks from Fort Ripley, Minn. to Bailey, Colo. Their daughter has epilepsy and a specially cultivated pot plant has shown promise in treating seizures. It has been a long road to be able to make that 1,000-mile move to Colorado, from everything and everyone they knew in Minnesota. Eight-year-old Jenna Jay has epilepsy. Surgeries, diets, and 20 different medications haven’t been enough to control the hundreds of seizures she has suffered every month for more than five years. “If there’s a chance that it could help why not at least try it,” father Jason Jay said. The Jay family first heard of a custom-cultivated marijuana plant grown only in Colorado after Charlotte Figi’s parents went public with their story. Charlotte Figi takes a dose of the cannabis oil daily. The plant has a high amount of a compound shown to help control seizures in some kids. “It’s been two years and she’s off all of her pharmaceuticals,” mother Paige Figi said. “She’s walking, talking, eating. (It’s a) 180-degree difference for us.”

http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/marijuana/background/hrb-20059701

The plant has been studied as a potential treatment for many conditions, including chronic skin disorders, cancer-related weakness and weight loss, chronic pain, Huntington’s disease, sleep disorders, eye disease, multiple sclerosis, and schizophrenia. The most significant benefits have been seen in the treatment of chronic pain and multiple sclerosis.

Thanks for those links, Jim, very promising solutions for some indeed! Can God’s common grace include the use of cannabis? I wouldn’t rule it out.
One other aspect about the use of “medical” marijuana that I remember thinking was a good thing was in the case of cancer patient’s whose lose their appetites from the chemo treatments.