Legalising Marijuana

Good Morning and Welcome to this week’s Gospel and Culture update, by Alan Vink

Monday 29th June 2020

This week’s blog attempts to outline why Christians should vote No to the legalising of Marijuana in this year’s Referendum. This paper should be read in conjunction with Family First’s paper entitled,

’20 Reasons to Vote No’.

The Biblical Response (A Summary only)

This is I think is fairly straight forward. The same arguments we have used traditionally for smoking cigarettes, overeating (gluttony) and excessive alcohol consumption is the same argument we should use for Marijuana use. In summary it goes like this:

1. We are made in the image of God. Our everyday lives should reflect that.
2. We are to be good stewards of our earthly bodies. “Our bodies are not our own, we have been bought with a price” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. The Holy Spirit resides in the born-again Christian. In that respect we are the temple or dwelling place of God. Therefore, we should not eat, drink, smoke, or snort anything that violates His (God’s) holy dwelling. Beyond that we should not do anything that intentionally ‘hurts’ our bodies.
3. The Bible calls us to live soberly and with sobriety. 1 Peter 5:8-9 (NKJV)
4. Romans 12:2 calls us to be ‘transformed by the renewing of our minds’. Therefore, we should not ingest a substance that deadens our minds or weakens our resolve and ability to think clearly and react quickly if needed.
5. Smoking marijuana puts an individual at risk of becoming addicted. This means that you have lost control over your own body and something else (in this case marijuana) controls you.

The Public Health Response (or Societal Response)

I believe that we Christians should be as concerned about this aspect as the Biblical Response above.

That marijuana is harmful is not in dispute anymore. Today’s pot (see 20 Reasons to Vote No leaflet) is so much more potent than ‘Woodstock Weed’ of the 60’s and 70’s. Meaning it is even more harmful. And that says nothing about the new marijuana products like edibles, dabbing and vaping.

We should not legalise a drug (or any substance) that harms people, especially our young people. So, no matter what the argument might be to legalise it our response as Christians should be an unequivocal No. There is in my opinion no argument that should in any way soften the Christians response.

This response should not be confused with the medical marijuana debate. If it is deemed that the CBD (nontoxic) component of the marijuana plant is a useful medicine, then that becomes a separate discussion. Besides that, it would only be available via a prescription from a registered medical practitioner like all other medicine’s currently are.

Finally, to all pastors in NZ may I encourage you speak about this subject. This is foremostly a health and wellbeing issue of our country’s citizens. It has now become a political issue. Pastors please use this current debate to re-visit the issue of drugs (including party pills) and alcohol with your teenagers as they are a particularly vulnerable age group. As a father and a grandfather, I want to do all I can to ensure no members of my family get caught up with this horrible substance. The church is well positioned to support every Christian family.

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Alan Vink is currently the Executive Director for LeadershipWorx. Prior to this role he has been the Executive Director of Willow Creek Association NZ (WillowNZ), a Baptist pastor (23 years), Bible College teacher, and church consultant.