Biblical Case Against Weed

If God made the cannabis plant, then isn't it good? After all, Genesis 1:31 says, "God saw all that He made, and behold, it was very good..." The NIV says "it was good" while the NAS, which I quoted, uses a significantly stronger interpretation. All things were very good, right? Of course! Even the cannabis plant!

So why is it bad today? 

I was trying to think of a good parallel to weed (the term I'll be using from now on as opposed to "marijuana" or "cannabis plant"). I needed something that was natural (found in nature and not conjured up in lab like heroine or crack) and good for humanity. I ultimately settled on sexual intercourse as the appropriate comparison.

As with all analogies this will have its imperfections so don't spend hours dissecting those. Just follow along with the general principles. 

Sex was given to us by God as a natural way to reproduce and to enjoy another human being of the opposite sex in a very intimate way. Yet today we don't consider all sex to be good. Sex in the context of adultery is not good. Sex in any context where it's not between two married people of the opposite sex is not good. It has a limited context to retain its goodness. It's only within the parameters of God's design that sex is good. 

So what happened? The fall. The bible didn't end at Genesis 1:31, right? Sin entered the world and in so doing it changed everything. We invented ways to make good things evil. Human beings are exceptionally skilled at finding new and creative ways to sin in even the most innocent of settings. 

We have to look at weed in a post-fall world because we live in a post-fall world. I think there's probably a time and place for weed today but it's not on your front porch. It's not to be used to get high. It's not a recreational activity to be pursued by Christians. 

What was its original intent? I have no idea! I'd say healing but there would have been no need for healing in Genesis 1, so I haven't any idea what it was for prior to the fall. 

But why is it wrong for a Christian to get high?
Because it effects the mind. It changes how our mind works (if only for a short while). The key to Christian sanctification is the renewing of our minds (Romans 12). We are to have the mind of Christ. How does getting high help in any way conform our minds to Christ's mind? It doesn't. Our minds are the gateway to what our bodies do. When our mind's aren't functioning properly is when we find ourselves in trouble. It's already hard enough to not sin when our minds are functioning at their peak, am I right? 

"But Tim! You're a hypocrite! You're not trying make alcohol illegal!"
Correct. I am not trying to make alcohol illegal but I would support a law that made getting drunk illegal. The difference between weed and booze is that one can intake booze without getting drunk. Some people just like a good beer or a glass of their favorite wine. They have self-control and will stop consuming the beverage long before it begins dulling their senses. Marijuana isn't designed or intended to tickle the taste buds. Its intention is exclusively to dull the senses and alter the mind. The tow aren't actually comparable when you factor in the undeniable reality that people can and do consume alcohol without altering their mind. People don't smoke weed the same way they smoke cigarettes or cigars

Galatians 5:19-21
19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: [a]immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger,disputes, dissensions, [b]factions, 21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

The key words to look at are sorcery and drunkenness.  The word for sorcery is where we get our word for pharmaceuticals. This doesn't mean medicine is evil but it does suggest these were mad-made chemical-like creations. Weed in its natural state is fairly harmless. What you're buying from the local dealer is not weed in its natural state. It's intentionally manipulated to have a concentrated dose of THC so the user gets a maximum high. In either case, drunkenness is undeniably a sin and a particularly dangerous sin. Drunkenness leads to all sorts of bad decisions. Drunkenness and "being high" are not much different in terms of their ability to help believers make discerning choices. The principle we're after is that a believer must have a sober mind. Anything that interferes with our ability to think clearly and biblically is not good for us. And again, just think about how incredibly hard it is to not sin when we are sober. 

The role of government is to punish evildoers and to enact just laws. This amendment to Ohio's constitution would be a stamp of approval on behavior we know is offensive to God. Since this would be offensive to God, we know it's not right for us to say otherwise, thus we say "NO" to drugs. All laws are the legislation of morality. Never let anyone tell you differently. This law in essence makes smoking weed perfectly fine for persons 21 and over. 

That's my biblical case for opposing weed. There are also several other reasons to vote "no" on Issue 3. One is that is is an amendment to create a monopoly on weed sales. Another reason is that it will make the cost of weed significantly higher than it already is. You can seek out better resources than my blog for those and I encourage you to do so. I think this is a bad law whether you smoke weed or not.