Marijuana’s Not that Bad

Marijuana is not all that bad. You can function on it. It’s got lots of great uses. It’s natural.

Marijuana has never even killed one person. Hemp has all sorts of wonderful uses. It is possible to function on cannabis.

Hmmmmm. I’d have to say, as a former (heavy) user of marijuana, that is is possible to function on cannabis. At a much lower cognitive level. My memory was shot when I smoked on a daily basis. My motivation level tanked. I went from job to job. When I stopped using, depression set it. I was addicted, if not physically, then psychologically. I went out of my way to get it, even when I was broke. When I wasn’t broke, all my money went to it. Ten grand from a automobile accident settlement—gone in four months—up in smoke. So yes, you can function on cannabis, but not at a high level.

Hemp does have many positive uses. It’s impossible to argue that point.

And now—get ready for it—one of the lamest but most common excuses people make for marijuana—it’s never killed anyone. It almost killed me. I was high as a kite and I rear-ended a Lincoln Continental that was at a dead stand-still. I was going 40 miles per hour and I broke my windshield with my head. As I was strapped to the gurney and carted off to the hospital all that was going through my mind was, “How am I alive?”

Marijuana is addictive. Marijuana is expensive. Marijuana is illegal. Marijuana ruins relationships. Marijuana use is correlated with depression. Marijuana kills. Believe that one or not. But think about it (use common sense) before you go around saying, “Marijuana has never killed anyone.”

And how about another lame argument? Here it is—hemp is natural; God created it; it’s a plant for crying out loud! Hmmm. Hemlock’s a plant. Why don’t you try cooking up some hemlock cookies?

Regardless, none of that is the point of the following article. The point is this: does your life revolve around trying to convince people that cannabis is good? Or does your life revolve around sharing the good new of the Jesus of the Bible? What’s your focus? Marijuana? Getting high? Or Jesus? Can you get through the day without your pot? Can you get through the day without reading your Bible? What do you buy with your expendable income? Is Jesus the answer to your life’s problems? Or is smoking a joint the answer?

Marijuana won’t give your life meaning. It won’t provide peace or fulfillment. Meaning, peace, fulfillment—these things come from one source: Jesus Christ.

Marijuana is Not Bad

Does the Bible talk about Marijuana?

Does Scripture support the use of marijuana? Did the anointing oil contain cannabis? Did Jesus use marijuana? Sula Benet believed so. We don’t.

Someone said that Jesus used marijuana; that the anointing oil contained cannabis. Interesting.

Many who believe this cite the work of Dr. Sula Benet, an etymologist from Poland. In 1936 she concluded that the Hebrew words “q’nah-bosem” (Exodus 30:23) were etymologically related to “cannabis” and then reached the further conclusion that the anointing oil included marijuana.  She noted the similarities with words from other Middle Eastern language groups.  She further noted that the word could be used to reference a reed plant or a hemp plant, but she reached the definite conclusion that in the Exodus passage it meant the hemp plant. 

We find Benet’s arguments weak. Her logic fails in many areas.

We believe there are two fundamentals approaches to Scripture. One is to look for support for what you already believe. The other is to seek to find in Scripture how we should be changed. Those who use this second approach in their reading of the Bible may find this article of interest.

Read our article and tell us what you think.

Marijuana in Scripture