The Christian and Pot
Spring 2022
If you were to plot the use of cannabis in the United States, you would find a decrease in usage from the late 1970s through the early 1990s. Since then, there has been a steady increase. This correlates with the decriminalization of usage in some states and the full legalization in others. The impact of this change in the minds of some is to see cannabis/marijuana as harmless. It’s hard to believe but some Christians are slow to express opposition to use.
In the thinking of some, cannabis is an organic substance, part of God’s creation and so can be happily enjoyed. They continue to observe that it is “safer” than alcohol and is beneficial to many. Furthermore, cannabis isn’t expressly mentioned in the Bible, so it must come under the category of Christian liberty. To these people, to use or not to use is a matter for personal conscience.
Before considering such thinking there are some areas that need clarity. There are two important substances derived from cannabis plants. Cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), are natural compounds found in plants of the Cannabis genus. CBD can be purchased in various forms in many stores. It is promoted for its various health benefits. CBD products may not contain THC, which is the psychoactive compound in the various forms of marijuana. Are cannabis derivatives helpful in some medical conditions? Perhaps! Some people, with certain conditions may receive benefit from using CBD. If so, such usage would not be forbidden from scriptural principle. It is interesting, however, that some are suggesting that the maximum medical benefit is achieved when THC is also present in the product.
If we allow that there may be medical benefit, the believer will surely want to avoid any use of THC. THC is the psychoactive compound that produces the perceived enjoyment in the recreational use of marijuana. People testify that using marijuana produces feelings of relaxation and euphoria. They may feel creative, more easily amused. Some report heightened sensitivity to light, color, sound, touch, taste, and smell; however, alongside these supposed benefits can come anxiety and confusion, along with cardiovascular and gastrointestinal side effects. How someone reacts will depend upon the dose and strain of the product; how it is consumed–smoked, vaped, ingested; age; gender and physiology. We need to question how harmless marijuana is especially with increasing amounts of THC in today’s available products.
There are clearly physically harmful consequences for some people. Usage in young people with developing brains has been associated with psychosis and schizophrenia. Sleep disturbance has been reported in all ages. Smoking causes many of the same effects as smoking tobacco and we still await data about cancer causation. Add to this the impact of driving when stoned and you see the reason for strong concerns about the use of marijuana. We must not ignore the issue of dependency and addiction. Various numbers are reported, but addiction occurs between 1 in 6 and 1 in 10 users with the risk of addiction higher in younger users. Beyond addiction many report dependence–an unwillingness to stop using due to feeling better when using and adverse symptoms when not using. As the Apostle Paul considers his liberty in Christ, he excludes anything that would control him in some addictive fashion. “I will not be brought under the power of any” (1 Corinthians 6:12).
What I believe to be most persuasive is a comparison of the effects of cannabis use with the biblical standard for Christian living. You will all be aware of the caricature of the stoned individual on a couch. For once a caricature accurately presents reality. The one stoned is less attentive, less alert, less discerning, and less self-controlled. Surely these consequences are the very opposite of what is expected of the believer. “They that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation” (1 Thessalonians 5:7b-8). The believer is to exercise a life of continual self-control and sobriety. The effects of marijuana are the opposite of a life of spiritual vigilance and vitality. As such, marijuana use opens the doors for the user to walk into rooms containing other harmful substances, immorality, and sluggardliness to name but a few.
Life presents many challenges and in this stressful world many want to escape. Marijuana is the go-to escape drug. But to escape from this world’s troubles in such a way is to escape into danger. The Christian perceives the danger and so resolves to live a life of vigilance. “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:13).
Rev. Stephen Pollock | Minister of FPC Malvern, PA