If mary jane was legalized in the U.S.?

[emeraldctyangel]

God made sharks and snakes too. I dont wonder why He made them, I just stay out of their way and they stay out of mine.

I think with anything, overeating to smoking to drinking - whatever alters or suspends reality from you, even for a little while, could open you up to allowing anything in your life. As for me, I like staying on my toes and keeping the inappropriate things out of my life.

 

[Johnv]

Originally posted by King James:
Marijuana niether fries your brain nor kills you with one single use. It gives you a giddy feeling and relaxation, and is a pain killer.

The purpose of using marajuana is to get high. Getting high is a sin. Why? Because it defiles the body, as surely as LSD or crystal meth does. Likewise with the abuse of alcohol, tobacco, caffiene, etc. In fact, scripture tells us very firmly to refrain from getting drunk with wine, and to instead let the Holy Spirit be our "high". The spirit of that text tells us we must refrain from using substances to alter our moods.

Now, by your reckoning...should driving be a sin? It causes many accidents and deaths by the day.

If you drive with the intent of causing an accident, then your driving is a sin. The primary purpose of spoking pot is to get high. That's why using it recreationally is a sin. Drinking alcohol is a sin if you're drinking to get drunk. I think you get the point.

 

[OCC]

Hey Rachel, yes alcohol affects everyone differently.

emeralcity...we're not talking about sharks and snakes though.

You have a point on the "reality" thing but I don't believe marijuana changes your "reality". Other drugs do, which would make them wrong.

Johnv...I get the point. However, I don't agree with your point. One person smoking a joint is not killing anyone. You haven't even established that it defiles the body. It does? Show me the proof. Jesus said what defiles the body is what comes OUT of the mouth. I think you get the point.

Getting high is not the only purpose of using marijuana. Again, it has been stated that it is used as a medicinal agent. I hope you don't use anything that contains codeine or anything. If you do, you have contradicted your own argument.

I don't see why this has to cause a big fight or anything. If you don't believe marijuana is beneficial as a medicinal agent, so be it. I'm not going to "bully you" to agree with me. Likewise, do not "bully" me to agree with you. If you do, you only come across as a legalist.

 

[OCC]

"Drinking alcohol is a sin if you're drinking to get drunk."

Agreed...and smoking multiple joints to get stoned out of your mind is a sin as well. However, what about smoking one joint? Surely that does not get you stoned out of your mind...it affects you no more than having a beer or two.

 

[Johnv]

Originally posted by King James:
Johnv...I get the point. However, I don't agree with your point. One person smoking a joint is not killing anyone.

By your standard, it should be okay to get "a little drunk", because it's not killing anyone. Scripture doesn't say that actions are okay if they "don't kill anyone". One recreationally smokes pot for the purpose of getting stoned. It doesn't matter if it's to get a little stoned or stoned off their rocks. Hence, smoking pot recreationally is a sin.

Jesus said what defiles the body is what comes OUT of the mouth. I think you get the point.

Jesus was addressing the topic of language. A person who curses like a sailor without regard to other peoples' ears is defiling him/herself, because the language we use reflects what is in the heart. (Even at Angels Stadium, there's a marquee that reads "out of respect for families and children enjoying today's game, kindly refrain from the use of profanity). But, that topic is different that the drug use issue.

Getting high is not the only purpose of using marijuana. Again, it has been stated that it is used as a medicinal agent.

I don't have any problems with marijuana being used for for medical purposes under a physician's care. I never said anything to make you think I did.

I don't see why this has to cause a big fight or anything. If you don't believe marijuana is beneficial as a medicinal agent, so be it. I'm not going to "bully you" to agree with me. Likewise, do not "bully" me to agree with you. If you do, you only come across as a legalist.

The medical use issue is completely different from the recreational use issue. I don't have a problem with any drug being legal for medical use. That doesn't mean that a Christian has carte blanche to use medications for recreational use. In fact, when one uses a medication for a nonmedical use, that's drug abuse, plain and simple.

Originally posted by King James:
what about smoking one joint? Surely that does not get you stoned out of your mind...it affects you no more than having a beer or two.

If you're smoking one joint, half a jont, or taking just one hit off a joint, for the purpose of getting high, it's a sin. As far as beer, if you get buzzed off of one beer, then you should refrain from drinking a beer. If, however, you can consume a beer without getting buzzed, then it's permissible. However, if you're drinking any amount of beer, even a sip, for the purpose of getting drunk, then it's a sin no matter how much you consume.

 

[OCC]

Well then I guess I agree.

I tried to make it clear that one can't get "high" off of one joint though. They may feel good and relaxed but I thought you had to smoke more than one to be "stoned". I equated it with one beer. One beer is hard to get drunk off of. Thanks for your explanation John.

 

[Marcia]

Originally posted by Rachel:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by King James:
Actually you will get into a different state of mind with one or two beers. Moderate drinking and smoking pot are probably about equal.

Really? I never had that experience when I smoked that back in the day, just one joint really affected me. A couple beers never have done much at all to me. But I guess everyone is different. </font>[/QUOTE]I think page 3 finally started hitting the point of wine vs. smoking point.

Drinking beer or wine did make me a little high when I did it -- I don't drink at all now, partly for that reason and for other reasons.

Smoking pot didn't make me high like beer or wine did but it definitely affected and altered my mood. It is not a hallucogen like LSD (which I never took) but somehow it does affect your brain. And today's pot is much stronger than the pot of the 70's and 80's and so there is even more reason not to use it at all. Studies have shown it destroys memory and cells that have to do with concentration.

 

[OCC]

Marcia, I guess your last post there decided the issue.

 

[Victory in Jesus]

Originally posted by Marcia:

Originally posted by Rachel:
Smoking pot didn't make me high like beer or wine did but it definitely affected and altered my mood. It is not a hallucogen like LSD (which I never took) but somehow it does affect your brain. And today's pot is much stronger than the pot of the 70's and 80's and so there is even more reason not to use it at all. Studies have shown it destroys memory and cells that have to do with concentration. [/QUOTE]

If you mean marajuana as "pot", I saw a movie in high school that listed marajuana as an hallucigen [sp?]. It showed a girl touching a flower then quickly pulling back and turned out to be fire. It showed a kid on a curb ready to jump, but in reality, the curb was a building. That movie was enough to keep me off drugs. LOL! But, I'm basing my "knowledge" on a 30 year old memory with a short attention span.

Today's pot is not just stronger, it can contain contaminants that could kill you. Keep in mind the "pharmacists" are not making a living. They are trying to get as much money for a joint as they can, so they'll add things to make a "better high" to keep their customers coming back.

If the concept of drugs, mrarjuana, and the world they come from isn't enough, here's something to ponder:

My husband just came home from work while I was reading this thread. He said a 14 year old girl was shot and killed. Not only is there a cerfew in her city, but she lived miles away from where she was shot. She was laying in front of a drug dealer's home. The police are still trying to piece this together as I type.

I have to wonder if that girl was ever reached with the Gospel before she died. I would initially think not because she was laying in front of a drug house.

Then I think about what I'm reading...professed Christians arguing over whether it's ok to smoke a joint. If you were found in her position, would people know you were a Christian? Even if you were just going to smoke a little?

Whether the Bible says it's ok or not--drugs, marajuana, beer, alcohol, etc--this is a world for the unsaved. It's part of Satan's world. Yes, I do believe all of this can be used medicinally and if it can, make your decision based on your particular situation. But, in that case, you'd be buying from a reputable pharmacy and not a drug house. You'd be purchasing the medicine based on intelligent decisions.

I read some testimonies about the Lord bringing them out of this stuff and have to wonder if threads like this alone would be enough to cause them to crave their DOC and return to it.

I'm not knocking the threads or their discussions. The things I've read have been informative and inspiring (how the Lord has brought some of you out of drugs). I was just hit with a big dose of reality when my husband told me about this girl. 14 year old, Folks. She was just a child.

 

[Marcia]

I did a little research and found this article listing mj as a "mild hallucinogen." I can tell you, however, that it never gave me hallucinations though it affected me in other ways (I was, however, not a heavy user of it as its main affect was to alter my moods and also make me feel very tired). BTW, I did not smoke mj after I became a Christian.

The article gives some very clear warnings about the dangers of mj:
http://www.acde.org/common/Marijana.htm

The Impact on the Mind

Marijuana use reduces learning ability. Research has been piling up of late demonstrating clearly that marijuana limits the capacity to absorb and retain information. A 1995 study of college students discovered that the inability of heavy marijuana users to focus, sustain attention, and organize data persists for as long as 24 hours after their last use of the drug. Earlier research, comparing cognitive abilities of adult marijuana users with non-using adults, found that users fall short on memory as well as math and verbal skills. Although it has yet to be proven conclusively that heavy marijuana use can cause irreversible loss of intellectual capacity, animal studies have shown marijuana-induced structural damage to portions of the brain essential to memory and learning.

Chronic marijuana smokers are prey to chest colds, bronchitis, emphysema, and bronchial asthma. Persistent use will damage lungs and airways and raise the risk of cancer. There is just as much exposure to cancer-causing chemicals from smoking one marijuana joint as smoking five tobacco cigarettes. And there is evidence that marijuana may limit the ability of the immune system to fight infection and disease.

 

[Marcia]

BTW, Victory in Jesus, check how your quotes turns out when you post and read them carefully before you post.

The way you have it, you have Rachel saying what I said, and I bet Rachel does not appreciate that, especially on this topic. You should have erased "originally posted by Rachel" from what you posted.

 

[OCC]

People make mistakes though. There is only so much time one is allowed to edit. Maybe they are new and don't realize all their options yet. I say, give the person a break. It's not like they're saying you said "Heil Hitler" or anything.

 

[Marcia]

Originally posted by King James:
People make mistakes though. There is only so much time one is allowed to edit. Maybe they are new and don't realize all their options yet. I say, give the person a break. It's not like they're saying you said "Heil Hitler" or anything.

I didn't mean to sound harsh, and if I did, I'm sorry. I think if they are new, it might be good to point out that problem, however. I don't like quotes attributed to me that I did not say.

 

[OCC]

Yeah, I know. Nobody likes quotes attributed to them when they didn't say them. I was just trying to point out that maybe they're new and try to bring some balance to the issue by saying "it's not like they're saying you said 'heil hitler' or anything."

I hope I didn't offend you, I was just trying to give you a different perspective.

 

[Marcia]

Originally posted by King James:
Yeah, I know. Nobody likes quotes attributed to them when they didn't say them. I was just trying to point out that maybe they're new and try to bring some balance to the issue by saying "it's not like they're saying you said 'heil hitler' or anything."

I hope I didn't offend you, I was just trying to give you a different perspective.

Well, thanks. Hope you can see my viewpoint, too. I was thinking of Rachel since my experience of smoking pot was being attributed to her.

 

[Rachel]

Originally posted by Marcia:
BTW, Victory in Jesus, check how your quotes turns out when you post and read them carefully before you post.

The way you have it, you have Rachel saying what I said, and I bet Rachel does not appreciate that, especially on this topic. You should have erased "originally posted by Rachel" from what you posted.

Hey no worries!
You know, I still can't quite figure out how to use the bold and italics on this site. Sometimes it works for me and sometimes it doesn't. Maybe I'll eventually get it.

Rach

 

[Fishnbread]

Im not going to say abusing pot is right but I can't say smoking it under a controlled scedual is evil. You guys have to remember God made to plants for us and the animals. I heard that ciggarettes kill way more than "De Bush Mon" and the reason is likely the cynide in them. BTW pot supports good brain development when used properly.

Your servant
Fishnbread

 

[Victory in Jesus]

Originally posted by Marcia:
BTW, Victory in Jesus, check how your quotes turns out when you post and read them carefully before you post.

The way you have it, you have Rachel saying what I said, and I bet Rachel does not appreciate that, especially on this topic. You should have erased "originally posted by Rachel" from what you posted.

I'm sorry, Marcia. You're right. I hit the quote button and thought I deleted everything correctly (it's hard to see everything in these tiny windows).

Next time I have a direct quote, I'll copy and paste.

Thank you for pointing that out and correcting it.

 

[Victory in Jesus]

Originally posted by Marcia:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by King James:
People make mistakes though. There is only so much time one is allowed to edit. Maybe they are new and don't realize all their options yet. I say, give the person a break. It's not like they're saying you said "Heil Hitler" or anything.

I didn't mean to sound harsh, and if I did, I'm sorry. I think if they are new, it might be good to point out that problem, however. I don't like quotes attributed to me that I did not say. </font>[/QUOTE]Thank you, King James, but I took it the way she meant it. I'm just thankful I had my coffee before I read her post or I might HAVE misunderstood it. LOL! She was trying to help, and she did.

I'm used to the HTML syntax and this UBB code is a bit different and confusing. LOL!

 

[Victory in Jesus]

Originally posted by Fishnbread:
I heard that ciggarettes kill way more than "De Bush Mon" and the reason is likely the cynide in them. BTW pot supports good brain development when used properly.

Your servant
Fishnbread

Do you have evidence to back this up, Fishnbread? Like a website from a reputable company or agency that shows extensive research proving this statement?

I have to laugh every time I hear that marajuana will make you wise because this is what Satan told Eve in the Garden:

Genesis 3:

4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

5 For God doth know that in the days ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

She did eat and her eyes were opened, but not the way Satan promised. Yes, they did become god...to themselves. And if you think about it, the only reason for taking marajuana (other than medicinally) is to serve that god (self).

I wonder if it's ok to lick a poisonous frog? Sorry 'bout that. That question should begin a brand new thread.