Marijuana

[Da Bomb]

Its about time a christian debate on marijuana was started.
So lets debate.
Is it ok to smoke as a christian?
Is cannabis in the bible, more specifically use of any kind?
any verses for or against Marijuana use?

PRAISE UPDATE!!
I am so thankful, and praise be to GOD, for the honest open CHRISTIAN dialogue I have seen here in this site. I started this little social experiment to see how jaded, or how educated my brothers and sisters were. I must say with the huge amount of replies already about the subject Marijuana, I would conclude that this is a subject on many peoples minds, as well as something that will be resolved within our next few presidencies. Free market and lack of stable energy will bring back hemp to the US, and we all know Marijuana is already the #1 cash crop in the US, so only matter of time before it is taxed.(And not just with a stamp)
I am more pleased about the amount of EDUCATED BIBLE readers on this site, Granted it is a Christ centered site, so bible reading is the norm, but the Apologetic aspect of the knowledge is what is important. SEEK THE LORD OUT! and from what I can see...many of us seem to LOVE the challenge of really knowing, and being close to the Lord.

 

[RedTulipMom]

i doubt a debate would last too long on this site since promotion of drugs/drug use IS against the rules here.

 

[AJblaise]

I don't have the verse number, but there is a fairly popular interpretation of a passage refers to marijuana in a positive light.

Unless someone follows the theory that everything besides Jesus and God that makes us feel good is bad I don't see the reasoning to condemn it. Perhaps if you're a conservative it would be in your interest to have a negative view of it, because weed is often and correctly associated with the Left.

 

[lpxxfaintxx]

Please do not close or delete this thread, as I would like a serious, mature debate on this. I'm not here to promote or demote the use of Marijuana, but I would like facts only.

1. Marijuana is a relatively 'safe' drug, compared to Alcohol, Cocaine, Meth, etc.

Drug Deaths Per Year

Tobacco - 450,000+
Alcohol - 150,000+
Aspirin - 1,000+
Caffeine - 5,000+
Legal Drug Overdose - 27,000+
Illegal Drug Overdose - 5,200+
Marijuana - 0

2. Studies show Marijuana has no negative long-term effects.

Researches Regarding Marijuana and its long-term effects:

abovetheignorance[dot]org/#1
(new member, can't post links yet)

3. Marijuana was made illegal in the 1930's for several reasons: Racism, Fear, Protection of Corporate Profits, Yellow Journalism, Ignorance, Corrupt Legislators, Greed



With the list above, I can say that Marijuana isn't as bad as the government and media makes it seem.

However, the Bible says:

1 corinthians 6:19 - Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own

At the same times, the Bible does not mention Marijuana specifically. It does however, mention Alcohol.


Currently these are my views: IFMarijuana was made legal wherever you reside, as a Christian you have a right to smoke moderately, like you would drink moderately with alcohol. Of course, this is ONLY if new studies do not show negative long-term affects of Marijuana.

Feel free to try to convince me otherwise. What are your opinions? I'd love to hear them. But please, do not say ignorant things, like "Marijuana is bad no matter what!" I'd like a mature, knowledgeable debate.


edit: Forgot to mention, I am a Christian.

 

[dayhiker]

I also don't see pot as a sin. Like any thing we put in our body including food we have to do it in a limited way. Our body can hand alcohal, a feast and Cannabus just fine in limted amonts. When we pig out its when we have problems.

If one needs to take a mind altering drug to aviod life in some way they need to deal with those issues in their life.

Lastly, the war on drugs makes the USA the country in the world that locks up more of its citizens than any other country in the world. Calif. has to build a prison every hear to house all these peoplle that we lock up. That should tell us that there is something wrong with the way we are asking people to live. Very sad. But where are the churches in helping deal with this! They are just supporting more laws to lock up more Americans often for stupid little crimes.

dayhiker

 

[Da Bomb]

i doubt a debate would last too long on this site since promotion of drugs/drug use IS against the rules here.

I dont understand what you mean by this vrs? And who is promoting drugs? DRUGS HAVE A TOXICITY LIMIT, canabis dose not. That means you can not die from it. Also what about gen 1:29 (King James Bible
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)
also what about roman 14:14( ................................................................................
I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.)

 

[DerSchweik]

I dont understand what you mean by this vrs? And who is promoting drugs? DRUGS HAVE A TOXICITY LIMIT, canabis dose not. That means you can not die from it. Also what about gen 1:29 (King James Bible
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)
also what about roman 14:14( ................................................................................
I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.)

Let me put in my 2 cents worth on this issue: CF does indeed have a rule that we are not to promote anything illegal:

Don't break the law, don't violate copyright, threaten others, or do or promote anything illegal.

Then there is the issue of the Christian response to things outlawed by our governments:

Romans 13:1 "Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God."

The fact of the matter is that marijuana is illegal, regardless. The "unclean" Paul is referring to has to do with the eating of food sacrificed to other gods, not to things outlawed by the government. That God has given us "every herb bearing seed" must be counterweighed by the above verse in Romans - for God gave us those as well.

And per the CF Rules, "Promotion is defined as encouragement of the progress, growth, or acceptance of something including advertising and publicity."

As long as we don't cross the line in this discussion of a substance that is illegal, appearing to promote its use, we can continue to discuss the topic. Ok?

 

[Da Bomb]

We really got to get our christians brothers educated here. Genesis 1:29 clearly states the use of cannabis or other green herbs as food, and or consumption. Romans 14:14 clears up any issue when it comes to using it around others. And for the last time QUITE SAYING ITS ILLEGAL !!! Our BILL OF RIGHTS clearly states that a federal Law can not TRUMP a state Law. Example, Cannabis is Illegal to general public (EXCEPT FOR SIX PATIENTS( who the government gives a can of 300 joints to every month) google "government marijuana program" it just turned 30 years old!
but cannibis is lega in California for medical use.
Was any one here aware that GEORGE WASHINGTON had acres of HEMP?

 

[koggit]

Our BILL OF RIGHTS clearly states that a federal Law can not TRUMP a state Law.

Sorry, but this is just wrong. The exact opposite is true.

The Supremacy Clause of our constitution (which all states in the union must adhere to) clearly states that federal law has supremacy over state law.

wikipedia.org/wiki/Supremacy_Clause

 

[Blue Olive]

Drugfreeworld.org has a lot of facts about drugs. No preaching, just facts. Here is some information from the marijuana section:

"Short-term Effects: Users suffer loss of coordination and distortions in their sense of time, vision and hearing. Other effects are sleepiness, reddening of the eyes, increased appetite and relaxed muscles. Heart rate can speed up. In fact, in the first hour of smoking marijuana, a user’s risk of a heart attack increases at least five-fold. School performance is reduced through impaired memory and lessened ability to solve problems.

Long-term Effects:
Long-term use can cause psychotic symptoms. It can also damage the lungs and the heart, worsen the symptoms of bronchitis and cause coughing and wheezing. It may reduce the body’s ability to fight lung infections and illness."

 

[koggit]

Drugfreeworld.org has a lot of facts about drugs. No preaching, just facts. Here is some information from the marijuana section:

"Short-term Effects: Users suffer loss of coordination and distortions in their sense of time, vision and hearing. Other effects are sleepiness, reddening of the eyes, increased appetite and relaxed muscles. Heart rate can speed up. In fact, in the first hour of smoking marijuana, a user’s risk of a heart attack increases at least five-fold. School performance is reduced through impaired memory and lessened ability to solve problems.

Long-term Effects:
Long-term use can cause psychotic symptoms. It can also damage the lungs and the heart, worsen the symptoms of bronchitis and cause coughing and wheezing. It may reduce the body’s ability to fight lung infections and illness."

I don't smoke, but I think you should be a little skeptical of negative "facts" about drugs from a site that specifically calls themselves a drug prevention program. It's very clear that they have an agenda. Even the URL "DrugFreeWorld"...

The only drug on their site that I've ever tried is ecstasy, about which they say...

Short-term Effects:

• impaired judgment
• false sense of affection
• confusion
• depression
• sleep problems
• severe anxiety
• paranoia
• drug craving
• muscle tension
• involuntary teeth clenching
• nausea
• blurred vision
• faintness and chills or sweating.

Long-term Effects:

• Prolonged use causes long-lasting and perhaps permanent damage to the brain, affecting the person's judgment and thinking ability. Some young people have died after using ecstasy only once.

I only tried it once, but the only "short-term effect" I experienced was clenching my teeth. It's obvious they want to make drugs seem even worse than they are because their agenda is to prevent drug use.

 

[Blue Olive]

I don't smoke, but I think you should be a little skeptical of negative "facts" about drugs from a site that specifically calls themselves a drug prevention program. It's very clear that they have an agenda. Even the URL "DrugFreeWorld"...

I only tried it once, but the only "short-term effect" I experienced was clenching my teeth. It's obvious they want to make drugs seem even worse than they are because their agenda is to prevent drug use.

I understand that you would be skeptical. If you're looking for a more authoritative source, you can always Google "drug enforcement agency" and check out the DEA's information on each drug. You can be cynical about those trying to help (with good reason - many who have offered help in the past have betrayed) or you can say, "well, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt".

My ideal world is one without drugs. Drugs destroy the body and alter the mind. I don't see anything wrong with an agenda that tries to prevent such things. Do you?

 

[Da Bomb]

I understand that you would be skeptical. If you're looking for a more authoritative source, you can always Google "drug enforcement agency" and check out the DEA's information on each drug. You can be cynical about those trying to help (with good reason - many who have offered help in the past have betrayed) or you can say, "well, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt".

My ideal world is one without drugs. Drugs destroy the body and alter the mind. I don't see anything wrong with an agenda that tries to prevent such things. Do you?

HOW CAN SOMETHING BE A DRUG IF YOU CANT DIE FROM IT!!!

 

[Da Bomb]

HOW CAN SOMETHING BE A DRUG IF YOU CANT DIE FROM IT!!!

THERE IS NO TOXICITY LIMIT!!!

 

[Everlasting33]

I don't smoke, but I think you should be a little skeptical of negative "facts" about drugs from a site that specifically calls themselves a drug prevention program. It's very clear that they have an agenda. Even the URL "DrugFreeWorld"...

The only drug on their site that I've ever tried is ecstasy, about which they say...





I only tried it once, but the only "short-term effect" I experienced was clenching my teeth. It's obvious they want to make drugs seem even worse than they are because their agenda is to prevent drug use.

How about this:

http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/evidence99/marijuana/Health_1.html

 

[WatersMoon110]

The Supremacy Clause of our constitution (which all states in the union must adhere to) clearly states that federal law has supremacy over state law.

Right. However, I believe the federal law which prohibits cannabis says that the States have the right to legalize up to a certain amount or decriminalize it. The DEA does not respect the States' right to do this, even though the States are granted this power, and continues to do things like bust medical cannabis growers in California.

THERE IS NO TOXICITY LIMIT!!!

No, there totally is. It is just physically impossible to reach it through any means of cannabis consumption. However, there is no doubt that cannabis is a drug, just like alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, cocaine, opium, aspirin, and LSD.

 

[WatersMoon110]

How about this:

http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/evidence99/marijuana/Health_1.html

And yet Dr. Donald Tashkin (the author of the first referenced study) more recently finished a study (link to article about) that found that people who smoke both cannabis and tobacco get less cancer than people who only smoke tobacco. From the article:

"We hypothesized that there would be a positive association between marijuana use and lung cancer, and that the association would be more positive with heavier use," he said. "What we found instead was no association at all, and even a suggestion of some protective effect."

(emphasis mine)
He also did this interview (in two parts):
http://youtube.com/watch?v=GJmQ16cGBHU
http://youtube.com/watch?v=_6pBw0bgmgA
In which he states that even heavy cannabis smokers get only the chronic bronchitis, but not the decrease in lung function associated with smoking tobacco.

There don't seem to be very conclusive studies on the effects of cannabis use on the immune system. There are people who say it has a negative effect, some who say it has no effect, and even some who claim it has a positive effect. However, there don't really seem to be very good studies that back any of these opinions up, so I'm not sure about this particular issue.

As for the supposed "link" between cannabis use and mental illness, all of the mental issues it has been theorized to trigger have a genetic component. That is, they are thought to be illnesses that people can only get if they are genetically predisposed to get them. So not everyone is even at risk for these mental problems. We are unable to know if the people who develop these problems were going to do so no matter what, or if using cannabis is what made them start suffering from these issues; since many mental diseases start during the early twenties (when many people start experimenting with cannabis, in college). Beyond there, it is unknown if cannabis use actually causes these underlying problems to surface; or if people who are starting to suffer from these mental problems are more likely to use cannabis.

 

[Da Bomb]

Ok thats a pretty old report that has be dubenked by harvard as well as any medical jurnol, oh yeah as well as the BIBLE. genisis 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."
But even if thats true, those side effects are better than the effects of caffine, and another thing, who smokes any more, most people use a water pipe, and even more are using Vaporizers now.


THIS IS THE REAL QUESTION, HAS ANY ONE SEN SUPERHIGH ME?
much like supersize me but with cannabis.

He has higher sperm count as well as higher SAT scores after 30 days using Cannabis.

If any one needs this film let me know.

 

[Da Bomb]

Right. However, I believe the federal law which prohibits cannabis says that the States have the right to legalize up to a certain amount or decriminalize it. The DEA does not respect the States' right to do this, even though the States are granted this power, and continues to do things like bust medical cannabis growers in California.
No, there totally is. It is just physically impossible to reach it through any means of cannabis consumption. However, there is no doubt that cannabis is a drug, just like alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, cocaine, opium, aspirin, and LSD.

How can you put it into the same catatgorie when its in the bible as an herb. Genisi 1:29 also If you cant reach the toxity limit, IT DOSE NOT HAVE ONE. Thats like saying you can die by holding ones breath to long, one can not hold ones breath long enough to kill ones self, so there for, you can not die by holding you breath, even thought in theory you could state that you could die.

 

[FaithLikeARock]

Since Mary Jane wasn't a drug in Biblical times, I doubt it will be named specifically.

I have read that it CAN in fact have some consequences (Understanding Psychology; Feldman) generally it is fairly safe. BUT, smoking it has roughly the same affect as smoking tobacco and can cause the same sorts of lung and heart diseases that smoking cigarettes does. So to say that there are no deaths and then accuse tobacco of so many is rather silly.

That and I doubt those numbers are properly fitted. THOUSANDS of people smoke cigarettes and very few people use marijuana and since all the people I know who smoke leaves (and yes I do know some) also smoke cigarettes, I fairly sure it would be hard to figure out which one caused the lung cancer. Of course the death rate would be hight for tobacco users since they outnumber all kinds of drug users by thousands of people. It's not really a fair tally.