Why Marijuana Should Remain Illegal
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Washington State has become the second state to legalize marijuana. Christians need to be prepared to speak to this issue. Reasons to oppose marijuana are here given in the form of Questions and Answers.
1. Marijuana is no more harmful than alcohol, and alcohol is legal.
Alcohol is America’s number one drug problem. Why should we now unleash another harmful drug on America? When marijuana has been legalized, it has led to an increase in crime and societal problems.
Alcohol and marijuana have been classified as “gateway drugs,” drugs that often lead to harder drugs. Isn’t one legal gateway drug enough?
2. We have not won the war against drugs, including marijuana. So why not legalize it?
We haven’t won the war against murder either. Should we therefore legalize murder? Should we just tax murder? Of course not. Passing a law against a harmful practice does not eliminate the practice. But it does limit it, stigmatize it, and punish the abusers.
3. Medical marijuana should be legalized.
The argument for medical marijuana usually is just a way of opening the door to the recreational use of marijuana. When a state legalizes smoking marijuana for pain, you can expect the next push to be for legalizing recreational marijuana. Christian abstainers, however, do accept the use of drugs for medicinal necessity, rather than recreational purposes.
For some the pain-relieving aspects of marijuana loses appeal when you take away the idea of smoking a joint and getting high. Marijuana is already available in drug form that does not get you high, yet can be used for pain or other medical conditions.
Barrett Duke of the ERLC explains, “Marijuana’s pain-relieving ingredient has been available by prescription for years. A person can purchase Marinol—right now—with a doctor’s prescription. The plain fact of the matter is that there are better and safer drugs [for pain]” (bpnews.net; 8-6-2012).
4. People have a right to smoke marijuana if they choose.
Our rights must sometimes end when a practice or substance becomes too harmful to ourselves and others. I know there is a fine line that sometimes has to be drawn, but dangerous drugs that harm the user and innocent others should be severely limited. Isn’t it strange that just as society is turning against smoking tobacco, it is now moving toward sanctioning smoking marijuana?
5. We can get taxes from the legal sales of marijuana.
We could also get taxes from legalizing other harmful practices. Invariably, when we allow and tax a practice that is harmful to society, we end up paying more to control it and deal with its consequences than we receive in taxes. Government would do better to get their taxes up front and honestly, not by legalizing destructive behavior.
6. You can’t legislate morality.
Yes you can. Our laws against murder and theft legislate morality. The question is where you draw the line. Some things need to be criminalized, limited, and stigmatized.
7. Penalties for marijuana should change.
Perhaps this is true. Barrett Duke has suggested, “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” (-BP).
8. Marijuana is not that bad.
Rather, when marijuana has been legalized, it has magnified an existing problem. Marijuana has multiple toxic chemicals and gives a higher risk for cancer, psychosis, strokes, respiratory damage and heart attack. It causes impaired memory, difficulty concentrating, impairs driving and reaction time. It lowers the I.Q. of teenage smokers.
Acceptance of another mind-altering recreational drug always changes things for the worse.
Biblical reasons to oppose marijuana
Every biblical injunction against alcohol is also a condemnation of marijuana and other recreational drugs.
- Scripture describes in detail the dangerous effects of alcoholic wine and says not to even look at it (Proverbs 23:29-35). It’s not much of a leap to take the same low view of other dangerous drugs.
- Scripture directly says wine is a mocker (Proverbs 20:1).
- Scripture commands us to be sober (1 Thessalonians 5:6-8, 1 Peter 5:8, etc.).
- Kings are commanded not to drink wine lest they pervert justice (Proverbs 31:4-5). Believers are called kings and priests (Revelation 1:6; 5:10) and neither should we take drugs that would cause us to do things we’d never do in our right minds.
- A Christian is to honor God with his mind and body (Matthew 22:37, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Both are adversely affected by alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs.
- Drinking hurts your Christian influence and leads others astray (1 Corinthians 8:9, 10:23).
One very big problem Christian social drinkers have is if they are justified in taking one mind-altering recreational drug (alcohol), then they have no legitimate argument against another legal mind-altering recreational drug (marijuana). The wise thing for Christians is to have nothing to do with either drug.
It should also be remembered that legal and moral are not synonymous. Whether alcohol, marijuana, or other harmful drugs are legal, a Christian answers to a higher standard.
Let’s not legalize another destructive drug.
David Brumbelow Bio
David R. Brumbelow is pastor of Northside Baptist Church, Highlands, Texas and a graduate of ETBU and SWBTS. David is the author of “Ancient Wine and the Bible” and “The Wit and Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow.” He writes at gulfcoastpastor.blogspot.com.
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Larry,
http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/Marijuana#Total
There is a table here that shows the arrests for marijuana possession in the US. More people are arrested for marijuana possession than are arrested for violent crimes. The question isn’t whether or not to have jail. The question is whether jail should be used to keep people from harming themselves when they are not harming others. And if society decides that fundamentalists are harmful to themselves, the precedent to imprison them has been set by imprisoning others who are harmful to themselves. Nothing in the constitution makes allowance for protecting people against themselves. Government is supposed to protect the people against others. I think what Sean meant by “real crime” is the category of crime that harms other people.
As for the black market, there would indeed still be a black market if marijuana were legalized, but it would be significantly smaller. But allowing the money from legitimate sales of marijuana to flow legally would decrease the power of the cartels by eliminating their need to smuggle drugs across the border from Canada or Mexico. The alcohol prohibition gave power to people like Al Capone because organization was required to sell alcohol illegally. When the alcohol prohibition ended, gangs like Capone’s dissolved. Making something illegal also makes it rare and valuable. That’s why the cartels do not want marijuana legalized any more than Baptists. The principle is called Baptists and Bootleggers. An odd coalition for sure.
I was not taking a shot. If you think “responsible” alcohol use is acceptable, what is your argument against “responsible” marijuana use (assuming you live in a state where it is legal, like CO). You have none. That was my point.
Mark, usually putting a word in quotes, as you do with “responsible”, means that you are implying that there is no responsible use of alcohol. It’s not blatant, but yes, there is a cheap shot there. Take heed of your attitude, dear brother.
And the reason I do not extensively discuss Biblical reasons not to smoke marijuana (though I did mention I’m allergic to it above) is simply because this thread is about the civil law, not the operation of the church. We need to keep that distinction in mind.
But if I must address what objections I have to marijuana use, it would actually look fairly similar to the objections David cites, except I would clarify that not every use of mind-altering drugs (like caffeine) violates the Bible’s prohibition on drunkenness. You’ve got health effects, legal consequences, and the simple fact that smelling like an ashtray is about as winsome for the Gospel as refusing to bathe. Really it would also be the same kind of thing I note to the kids regarding alcohol, cigarettes, and for that matter the Mountain Dew and Burger King they love. I try to address the sins they’re vulnerable to, after all.
Important in the church, but I don’t believe the civil law needs to speak to these things. As others have noted, the cost of the war on “Reefer Madness” is too high, and the benefits are too small. You work to solve the big issues on the Pareto.
Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.
- All contact sports should be outlawed
- Motorcycles should be outlawed [if you’ve ever ridden a bike (I mean a motorcycle) without a helmet at 70+ … that’s a joy no one should ever experience again!)] [This is for the motorcycle rebel Steve Davis who sometimes frequents this site! We’re trying to help you buddy!]
- Also bungee jumping and sky diving
- Water skiing & swiming in oceans (sharks)
- Swimming in lakes and ponds because of amoeba
- Bicycling on two wheels
- Rock climbing and hiking in the outdoors … a puma could get you!
- We should eliminate steps and carpet as much as we can!
- And ban red meat, chicken and pork. Also peanut butter
- And let’s bubble wrap everyone!
- Please God .. I mean .. the government … save me from myself!
Where is that guy’s helmet? And his respirator to get rid of harmful gases?
Keep Our Own Kids Safe campaign forever!
Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.
I am not attacking you personally, never was. I put those in quotes because NO, I do not think that there is any need for recreational alcohol consumption, thus there is no responsible use of alcohol. My argument with these couple of posts is that people like you who do support what I would call so-called responsible use of alcohol have no reason to oppose similar use of marijuana. Have a blessed day.
[Mark_Smith] I do not think that there is any need for recreational alcohol consumption, thus there is no responsible use of alcohol.
This logic is not valid. Just because you don’t think that recreational alcohol is not necessary doesn’t mean that it’s not possible to use it responsibly.
As for reasons to distinguish alcohol from marijuana, you must have overlooked the arguments I presented above. It doesn’t take much to get high (from what I’m told) from a few puffs on a joint, but for a 200lb man to get drunk would take at least 2-3 servings of alcohol per hour. If one limits himself to one serving of alcohol per hour, it’s pretty much impossible to get drunk. Can a person take the same approach to marijuana? Possibly. Even searching the internet, however, it’s hard to find testimonies of people who can demonstrate this to be true.
And this still address the original issue, which is not whether or not marijuana is a good thing for a Christian to consume (which I would say it is not), but whether or not the possession of the substance (which God created) should be in itself cause for a person to be arrested and put in jail in order to prevent him from causing self-harm. And that is something no one here has yet defended with any biblical support. After all, we don’t incarcerate people who commit clear biblical sins (such as looking lustfully at a woman, refusing to aid widows and orphans, etc.). Despite the potential for abuse, alcohol was not made illegal in Israel to prevent its abuse, and that was in a Theocracy.
[Mark_Smith]I put those in quotes because NO, I do not think that there is any need for recreational alcohol consumption, thus there is no responsible use of alcohol. My argument with these couple of posts is that people like you who do support what I would call so-called responsible use of alcohol have no reason to oppose similar use of marijuana. Have a blessed day.
Mark, if need is the criterion for a behavior being responsible, then we ought to conclude that there is no such thing as responsible consumption of coffee, tea, soda, meat, dairy, and a host of other foods that our bodies do not need to survive. Our bodies can subsist on (e.g. Daniel) a rather Spartan diet, after all—bread & beans with a few vegetables will do the trick. (this was the diet of the Roman army, for example)
So if your logic is correct, the person who eats meat, dairy, chocolate, coffee, tea, or soda is then powerless to object to the use of heroin.
Obviously your logic needs a bit of work, doesn’t it? It needs work because it’s not a Biblical argument; the Bible nowhere states that we must need a food or drink to be allowed to enjoy it. Rather, Scripture encourages us to enjoy foods and drinks if we so desire, but not to be a glutton, a drunkard, or one who gives needless offense to his neighbor.
And if indeed dope cannot be enjoyed without smelling like an ashtray or being stoned—much like intoxication is the very point of amphetamines, cocaine, meth, heroin, and the like—then we would conclude that, possibly apart from the cancer patient, that it cannot be ethically enjoyed by a Christian.
Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.
In reading this thread, I wonder if some posters believe alcohol, adultery, or homosexual acts should still be illegal. Do any of you think that people should be fined or imprisoned for alcohol consumption, adultery, or homosexual acts?
[Sean Fericks]In reading this thread, I wonder if some posters believe alcohol, adultery, or homosexual acts should still be illegal. Do any of you think that people should be fined or imprisoned for alcohol consumption, adultery, or homosexual acts?
Alcohol consumption: no. Public drunkenness, especially while driving or operating heavy equipment, emphatically yes.
Adultery: prison, no, unless the victim of adultery gets and STD or something out of the deal. However, I would favor granting lifetime alimony, 70% of shared assets, and full custody of children to the victim in such a case when the victim decides to divorce the perp. I believe “loss of consortium” civil lawsuits are also appropriate whereby the victim can attach the property of the homewrecker.
Homosexual acts: definitely if HIV is spread, and 20% of homosexuals are carrying it, according to the CDC.
Not gonna hold my breath on the last two in this “Corinthian” culture, but it illustrates the point that we ought to be able to quantify serious damage before banning things. 20% of a group dying from predictable results of the behavior counts. Near certainty of transmitting STDs counts (NIH/CDC data; 50% of adults have/have had an STD). 15,000 drunken driving deaths annually counts.
Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.
You are being absurd. My posts on this thread are a continuation from the thread on Hymns in the Guiness commercial. NONE OF MY RESPONSES had anything to do with the legality of marijuana. I was strictly speaking as a continuation of the other thread.
My argument has always been that alcohol consumption is a cause of much evil in the world. I have witnessed and felt it first hand. My argument is that in 2014 there is no need to consume alcohol. It might be a freedom to do so for a Christian, but it is not helpful (1 Cor 6:12). Drinking alcohol sets a bad witness for any believer, and might cause those to stumble or despair around them.
I then said on this thread that anyone who thinks they can consume alcohol should also think they can consume marijuana.
This is all I am claiming.
If you want to make some kind of equivalency between eating milk, cheese, or Big Macs and drinking alcohol…well, I have nothing to discuss. Of course gluttony is a sin, though you and others seem to be rather militant about the issue, so I don’t really know where you are at with regards to being overweight/having a poor diet.
I had made an extended argument on several different threads about alcohol. See the 7:40 pm post to Bert for a summary.
I was never addressing the civil legality issue of marijuana at all.
[Mark_Smith]I had made an extended argument on several different threads about alcohol. See the 7:40 pm post to Bert for a summary.
I was never addressing the civil legality issue of marijuana at all.
I can tell you’re quite passionate about alcohol. I sympathize with your concern as I have seen many families hurt by the abuse of alcohol. I have also seen it used in moderation and enjoyment.
The civil legality of marijuana, however, was the title for the original post, so I assumed that is what you were getting at.
Mark, yes, it is absurd, but it is your argument.
Again, you’re arguing that if one does not “need” wine and drinks it, that is not a “responsible” use of alcohol. I am simply applying the exact same argument to the teetotaler. We do not need to eat meat, fish, dairy, chocolate, coffee, candy, tea, or pop, all of which most Baptists like ourselves indulge on a daily basis. So if I cannot argue against marijuana because using wine without a need is irresponsible, then I apply the exact same logic to you and point out that you, eating chocolate and meat or drinking coffee without a bodily need, then you are powerless to argue against the use of heroin.
So congratulations on making an argument that is reduced to absurdity by applying it to your situation, and for that matter, mine. I enjoy meat, dairy, chocolate, and coffee, none of which I need but all of which I enjoy to the glory of God. And yet I have a coherent argument against the use of marijuana and heroin.
Along the same lines, for every death attributable to the abuse of alcohol (those alcohol related deaths come almost always from drunkenness, not one drink with dinner, statistically speaking), I can point to about eight attributable to the irresponsible use of food. Now if one is a pastor or member at a mostly teetotaling Baptist Church, which sin ought I address, drunkenness or gluttony? Take a look around the room at the next potluck and you will have your answer.
Now you can try and retreat and say that you were threadjacking by arguing against the use of wine in a thread discussing the legality of dope, and if that’s the case, may I encourage you to mind your manners? But really, again, what you were trying to do at your core is to argue that one who accepts alcohol can’t argue against the use of other drugs. Since some here have made that case Biblically, maybe it’s time to drop that argument. It just doesn’t wash.
Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.
Truth be told, I was being light hearted about this whole thing. Before you got here, there had been several threads about alcohol use and the use of a hymn in a Guiness commercial. The issue was thoroughly discussed. Then one day a marijuana thread starts…I just fired off a light hearted “if you support alcohol use you can’t deny limited marijuana use” post. Nothing really happened. Then you come along and act all defensive and get your dander up about it. I wasn’t thread jacking…but I really have nothing to say about legalization of marijuana at this time. Never intended to. Let’s move on.
Maybe you need a sip of wine to calm down?
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