So, I was in the chat room and someone commented that a person who IM'd them stated they smoked pot. The commentor stated she immediately said goodbye and closed the chat window. I thought the topic was interesting and tried to ask a question, but apparently I offended someone by bringing up the topic.
First let me state, I AM NOT ADVOCATING MARIJUANA USE. I have never done an illegal drug in my life.
For me this is a thought experiment. I am interested in how we come to the views that we do.
With that said, on what basis do you say marijuana use is wrong? Please provide an argument for why it is wrong. Off hand I can not think of a verse that prohibits it.
If it is becuase it is against the law in the US, would it be different with medical marijuana like here in Colorado, or where it is completely legal like in Holland?
If it is wrong because it is mind altering, then how is it different than having a glass of wine or two after work or in the evening while at home?
Do you view it wrong if it is for medical use to allieviate chronic pain? If not, how would that be different than taking vicodin or any kind of narcotic pain killer?
If it is because it is potentially addicting, then what about anything else that is addicting? by that I mean anything that people become to focused on, like playing XBOX, or fixing cars or anything else that becomes an obbession with someone?
If it is becuase it is "bad" for you, then what about anything else that people consume that is bad for you like sugar, caffine, fat, etc?
Again, this is a thought experiement. I like to understand the views we have and possible contradictions.
I can't remember all the reasons, but smoking pot is by far worse for your lungs than cigarette smoke and it too contains carcinogens.
I understand your argument using cigarettes, sugar and caffeine; as to the last two, in moderation there is nothing wrong with them. But then some people can be sugar junkies all their lives and have no real problems.
Personally, I have no problem with marijuana use for medicinal purposes. Sure it torches your lungs, but then all the opioid drugs trash your liver and cause tolerance requiring greater doses to reach the same effect, while creating an addiction.
If marijuana legalization were ever put on the ballot, I would vote against it. I used to smoke it [decades ago] and no doubt it gets you 'high'. How would it be regulated? IOW, if legal, would people be allowed to smoke it before work, school, anywhere and any time of the day? We have laws against driving while intoxicated, but what about while high after smoking pot?
Thunder, I'm curious as to whether you require a higher amount of marijuana to reach the same effect of pain control as you had when you first started using it.
Good points, Saved. I hate seeing stoners doing nothing but being stoners.
But how do you separate legalized alcohol and weed. Aren't there regulations on alcohol, such as the breathalyzer? I don't know how it can be done, but we spend way too much money on busting people for this non-narcotic herb. Alcohol is a drug, too.
That's my concern should recreational smoking of marijuana be made legal. If you're out driving drunk, there are tests that determine how much alcohol you've consumed as far as being legally drunk goes. Not so with marijuana. Urine tests will determine THC in the body, but nobody really knows how long it stays in the body after it's smoked. So who would determine what "high" meant while driving or working? One could always say they last smoked a week ago and because THC is slow to leave the body, how else could you prove that one is actually too high to drive or work? What kind of test would there be to determine that?
Good point, Saved, but I never saw someone that high on pot, that they couldn't drive decently, or a car accident cause by someone too high on it. Now if it's laced with something else, that is different. I think it makes you drive better in most cases, but I haven't seen any studies on it either.
And, I think it should be left up to each state to legislate these laws.
I work w/ people w/ disabilities. I have witnessed the abuse of our tax dollars going for dope...and to people who DO not have pain/medical reasons. It is VERY easy to get a medical card for the stuff~sad world
As a Christian, my body being the temple of the Holy Spirit is good enough reason not to do drugs/alcohol/whatever,...another verse declares that we are to 'abstain from all appearance of evil'.
I've never seen studies either of driving while high on pot, so instead of giving my experiences as one who used to long ago, I looked it up and came across the following which I pretty much agree with-
Drugs and Driving
Just about everyone has heard, "Don't Drink and Drive" and "Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk." But not as many realize that there are many dangers associated with getting behind the wheel of a car (or bus, train, or plane) while high on marijuana.
Pot use impairs one's ability to reason and make decisions, and slows reaction time. In addition, motor skills and visual tracking ability are diminished. Studies have shown that smoking just one marijuana joint reduces reaction time by 41 percent, while two joints reduces it by 63 percent. In 2001, almost 40,000 high school seniors in the United States reported that they got into car accidents while driving high. In another study, 33 percent of people pulled over for reckless driving tested positive for mariiuana use. Driving while high may also not be safe because users usually feel a bit tired and have difficulty concentrating after smoking. Sometimes people experience anxiety and/or visual, perception, and time distortions, none of which would help with navigating a vehicle on a road, or even in the driveway. Also, pot impairs memory formation, so if someone is given directions of where to drive while high, there's a chance that s/he won't quite remember how to get from point A to point B once the trip has begun.
I place marijuana in the same category as alcohol. Both do not serve a miraculous medical purpose, and both impair judgement (yes, I know some people will probably claim that marijuana ENHANCES judgement, but seriously, anyone who eats a big bag of Doritos, 7 corn dogs, and a whole box of fruit roll-ups in one sitting because they have "the munchies" has impaired judgement. :laugh:) Personally I don't really care if marijuana is legalized or not - either way people will still continue to use it recreationally. But to answer your question about why we consider it a "bad" drug, I think it is because it alters a person's perception.
I have been both intoxicated and high before on multiple occasions, and the biggest spiritual problem I have found with both is that they cause you to be selfish. When you are in that state of mind, all that truly matters to you is...you! How good you feel, how happy you are, how hungry you feel, or how you feel like you might need to throw up. It is really, REALLY diffucult to summon the will to care about other people. As much fun as the experience may seem, I wonder how easy it would be for us as Christians to witness or even show the love of God to others while blazed out of their mind. I'm not saying its impossible, but I imagine it would be incredibly difficult for most.
On these grounds I base my thoughts about marijuana. If it is acceptable for us to drink, it should probably also be acceptable for us to smoke, although to take part in either is non-productive and unwise. And at the risk of sounding judgemental, anyone who says they don't function any differently than normal while high probably smokes too much to be able to tell the difference anymore (No offense to all the wake-n-bakes of this world).
PeguinRadar, Thanks for the reply. Ah! now to the follow on question like I posted in my original comment. I'm not disagreeing with you, I'm just challenging people to think through the process. If it is because of the altered mentation, then would you not also put perscription drugs like vicodin or valium, in those categories? What about anti anxiety meds? That is my point.
I think the better question would be "why" someone is taking Lortab, Ativan and the like. If it's for real medicinal purposes to combat a real medical issue, or if it's to just get "high". Normally, if taken as prescribed, altered mental status is not an issue. The problem is when it becomes abused.
