Since I have moved back to North Arkansas there is a question that I am asked quite regularly. The question is, “Do you believe smoking marijuana is a sin?” In fact, I am writing this post due to the students in our student ministry asking this very question. This post is the answer that I gave a group of them. One reason it is asked so frequently is because of it being legalized in some location. Another reason is that so many people know someone around here that does it.
I have a complicated past with this subject. I have known many people that have used Marijuana recreationally, and as some people know, I was quite rebellious for a time period and did it myself.
So, let’s narrow down the topic to a way in which it is answerable. Is using marijuana recreationally a sin? My answer, and I believe Scripture’s answer is “yes”.
The Argument For Using Marijuana Not Being A Sin
There is a scriptural argument that I’ve heard about a dozen times from those who would advocate marijuana usage from Scripture. Based on Genesis 1:29 they will make their case. So, what does it say?
And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.”
The argument is simply this: Marijuana is a “plant yielding seed”, so it is okay for me to smoke?
A Few Problems With The Argument
The first glaring problem with this argument is that God did not give the plants that yield seed for our smoking, but rather for food. God gave Adam and Eve plants for sustenance. We don’t consume foods by smoking them, we eat them. So, I cannot see a reason why this could even remotely pertain to Marijuana.
What About Brownies?
What about brownies? I don’t think anyone adds it to brownies for the taste, but even if we entertain the idea the argument doesn’t hold up.
Even though, at this point, the plant is being ingested there is an added problem. The plant causes intoxication. And there is a very analogous situation that helps us to know what we need to know about Marijuana. The analogous situation is drunkenness.
Drunkenness is being intoxicated by alcohol. Getting High is being intoxicated with Marijuana. Drunkenness affects brain function and alters perception. Getting High does the same thing. The reason drunkenness is considered a sin in Scripture is because of the way it affects brain function. Marijuana does the same thing. Simply put, if it’s considered sinful to be drunk then it is considered sinful to be High. So, Marijuana in brownies that causes a person to get High would be a sin in Scripture. And it takes very little for brain function to be altered.
The Difference In Alcohol And Marijuana
There is a large difference in alcohol and marijuana. A person can have a few drinks and not be drunk, but the same is not true for marijuana. So, if one were to say that they drink and don’t get drunk, then I would believe them and find nothing wrong with what they are saying. But, if one were to say that they smoke weed, but don’t get high they would be laughed out of the room. Why? The reason is that it takes so much less to be high than to be drunk and that’s not the reason that people do it.
It takes very little marijuana to begin altering brain function and perception. And, I have known of no situation where people have ingested or smoked so small an amount of marijuana recreationally that they weren’t getting high unless it was an accident. Yet, I know many people who drink alcohol with no intention of getting drunk. This is the massive difference between the two.
Conclusion
Marijuana used recreationally should be something that believers steer clear of . It is becoming increasingly welcomed by many in society, but is considered a sin by the very same passages of Scripture that forbid drunkenness. There is grace for those who have failed. Getting drunk or high does not cause a person to be unable to come to Jesus. Like me, you must turn from your sin, turn from ruling your own life and trust in the One who makes you right with God.
This is my answer to an increasingly asked question. I would love to hear what others have to say about it, so leave a comment and let this be the beginning of a discussion.
R. Dwain Minor
Image Attribution: By United States Fish and Wildlife Service [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
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