I only know of one passage in the Bible that “pot-smokers” use to justify smoking marijuana. That passage is Genesis 1:11-12, “Then God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth grass, THE HERB that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth’; and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, THE HERB that yields seed according to its king. And God saw that it was good.” They say, “Marijuana is an HERB, and God said it is GOOD, so it’s okay to smoke it.” The problem with this view is when you connect this passage with Genesis 1:29 which says, “And God said, ‘See, I have given you EVERY HERB that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, AND EVERY TREE WHOSE FRUIT yields seed; to you IT SHALL BE FOR FOOD.’” When Adam and Eve were created, they were VEGETARIANS and their food consisted of HERBS and FRUIT. So, God did NOT intend man to “smoke herbs” but to “eat herbs.” I may say a word about “medical marijuana” in closing, but first I’d like to present three reasons for NOT smoking “recreational marijuana.” We shall see that it can be hazardous to one’s physical health, mental health, and that it is addicting.

1) Extensive studies have been done by Mayo Clinic and other researchers that have proved that “marijuana user’s risk of HEART ATTACK more than quadruples in the first hour after smoking it.” It also “increases the risk of CANCER” and is associated with “damage to BRONCHIAL MUCUS MEMBRANES.” In addition, it causes short-term memory loss, distorted perception, trouble making decisions, decrease in muscle strength, and anxiety. Scripture exhorts the believer in Christ with these words: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are NOT YOUR OWN? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20…NASB).

2) We just saw that marijuana affects the mind (memory loss, anxiety, distorted perception) and there are several passages of Scripture to warn us against this. In Ephesians 5:18 we read, “And do not be DRUNK with wine, in which is dissipation, but be FILLED with the Spirit.” Just as wine affects those who drink too much of it by causing them to “lose SELF-CONTROL,” marijuana has the same effect. The believer should be “CONTROLLED by the Holy Spirit” (one of the fruits of the Spirit is “self-control”; see Galatians 5:23). We are told in 1 Peter 4:7, “be ye therefore SOBER,” which means their MIND is to be “serious and under control.” See also 1 Thessalonians 5:6-8.

3) Last, but not least, marijuana is highly ADDICTIVE. In fact, for decades it has been called a “gate-way drug,” for it often leads to one looking for a “higher high” (like hallucinogenic drugs). Today there is a killer drug called FENTANOL and with some marijuana users their addiction has led to this drug. They may boast, “I have perfect liberty to smoke marijuana for it is now legal in the state that I live in.” That may be true, but the believer is subject to God’s Word, and we read in 1 Corinthians 6:12, “All things are lawful to me, but all things are NOT EXPEDIENT: all things are lawful for me, but I will NOT BE BROUGHT UNDER THE POWER OF ANY.” This verse teaches us that even if we “think it’s okay because it’s lawful, it is not beneficial to us and we may very well be enslaved by it.”

In closing, medical marijuana is not to be compared to recreational marijuana, for the former is to treat bodily and mental problems and the latter is simply for a “mental high.” Medical marijuana may help: 1) pain management, 2) neurological disorders, 3) nausea relief, and 4) potential anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. But even here, one must be careful in consulting a good doctor who can prescribe just the right prescription for your unique case.  (DO)  (733.1)