Regulating Marijuana

"George Soros, the multibillionaire investor who helped bankroll three initiatives to change drug laws in California, endorsed the marijuana legalization initiative Monday and plans to make a major financial contribution to the campaign...

...Soros wrote that regulating and taxing marijuana would reduce the crime and violence linked to criminal drug gangs and violations of civil liberties "that occur when large numbers of otherwise law-abiding citizens are subject to arrest..." Full text

Do you agree with Soros?

[An excerpt: A Jet Tour Through Revelation by John MacArthur] "...And so, by verse 18 it says they kill a third of the world by fire, by smoke and brimstone which comes out of their mouth. It may be some kind of weaponry described in those ancient terms. And the rest of the men who were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, they should worship demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood that can't see or hear or walk and neither repented they of their murders, nor of their pharmakeia, that's drugs, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts. Men didn't repent, they just cursed God." Full text: A Jet Tour Through Revelation

Response to comment [from an atheist]:  "It's not a secret that a significant portion of Americans are marijuana users...I say legalize it."

The marijuana of today is not your hippy parent's marijuana.

You think we should make laws that end with "...and then you may smoke your joint"?

"...[P]ot is not an hallucinogen."

"don't have hippy parents..."

Did you know "you" is plural?

"I think we should make laws that allow people to live the lives they wish to live as long as that life isn't putting anyone else in danger."

You don't think drug and alcohol abusers put others in danger?

Response to comment [from other]:  "previous generations"

I agree with Dennis Prager's opinion of Baby Boomers.

See:

Baby Boomers Owe America's Young People an Apology

We can start working on our own apology soon.

Response to comment [from an atheist]:  "...[I]f there were a way to rid society of alcohol without a negative backlash I would support it 100%."

How about--stop getting drunk and abusing drugs. Repent of being a drunkard or pot head (Eph 5:18, 4:27-28).

"[M]arijuana]...makes people hungry, giggly, and mellow is a lot less dangerous."

When you see inebriated people (e.g. TV, movies, etc.), is that funny to you?

["You" plural] "I have no clue what you're trying to convey."

"Your parents" meaning the generation of people before us, in general.

"...[T]he fact is that as long as substances exist, people will be drawn to them

True. Shouldn't our laws reflect our values?

"[Drunkards on TV, in movies, etc.] In person, it disgusts me."

Me too.

Response to comment [from a Christian]:  [Regulate] "Yeah....but not alcohol, 'cuz alcohol isn't a drug; right?"

Prohibition showed us that people get testy when you take away their alcohol.

Response to comment [from an atheist]:  "Legalize, regulate, tax. Next."

Tom Tancredo would agree with you.

See:

Tancredo calls for legalizing marijuana

Response to comment [from a Satanist]:  "So? Even a raving loon like Tancredo gets something right."

How so?

"The idea that pot's still illegal is ridiculous and outdated. Let's legalize the stuff and move on already."

Of course you would be for it Satanist (Hab 2:15, Jn 10:10). You know drunkards and druggies don't go to heaven (1 Co 6:10; Ga 5:21).

Response to comment [from a Christian]:  "...Marijuana is simply a plant that was created by God, and "every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving" (1 Tim 4:4)..."

Man can certainly abuse what God has created.

"All sorts of things get abused all the time. What's your point?"

Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Lu 21:34.

Response to comment [from an atheist]:  "Indeed! Man abused uranium to make atom bombs..."

Oh no. He's singing it again.

Response to comment [from a Christian]:  [Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Lu 21:34.] "Umm...bad? Wu 34:95."

Does not compute.

Response to comment [from other]:  "serpentdove - should alcohol be legal? If yes, defend your view."

Scripture does not forbid drinking alcohol. It forbids drunkenness (Eph 5:18). Alcohol today is stronger. If a Christian drinks today, he should make an informed decision.

See:

What does the Bible say about drinking alcohol / wine? Is it a sin for a Christian to drink alcohol / wine? Does the Bible say anything about beer?
URL: http://www.gotquestions.org/sin-alcohol.html

Response to comment [from an atheist]:  "[L]aws...don't stop many people."

The educational DVD The New Marijuana: Higher Potency, Greater Dangers is being used to persuade teens not to use marijuana. [Abstract] "This short, but powerful film goes right to the heart of the message: marijuana that is being sold on the street today is much stronger and potentially more dangerous than it was 20 years ago. In interviews, teens who have been users and sellers talk about the risks and consequences of using this drug that is often thought of as safer than other drugs such as heroin and cocaine. The teen seller explains that other drugs and chemicals are being added to marijuana that make it more dangerous and more profitable. An interview with an addiction psychiatrist confirms that the new marijuana stimulates changes in the brain that could lead to addiction, lack of motivation, and an increase in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia..." Actkinson, Jeana. "The New Marijuana: Higher Potency, Greater Dangers." School Library Journal 56.3 (2010): 59. MAS Ultra - School Edition. EBSCO. Web. 27 Oct. 2010.

"... I'd say a larger issue is that a lot of it is being cut with cocaine or acid, which is impossible to know until you feel the effects of it."

Drug dealers don't have your health in mind (Jn 10:10).

Response to comment [from an atheist]:  [Alcohol stronger today] "This ranks very high on the list of utterly boneheaded statements you've made.  Go learn some chemistry, lackwit!"

Move over Sophocles (Ingraham).

[An excerpt: Living in the Spirit Ephesians 5:18-20 by John MacArthur]

"The Biblical Words for Wine

Oinos/Yayin

The most common word in the New Testament for wine is the Greek word oinos. It is a general word that simply refers to the fermented juice of the grape. The Old Testament equivalent to the Greek word oinos is yayin, the root of which means to "bubble up" or "boil up." The 1901 Jewish Encyclopedia (vol. 12, p. 533) states that yayin, at least in the rabbinic period, was diluted with water.

Gleukos/Tirosh

The Greek word gleukos--from which we get the English word glucose, means "new wine." It is used in Acts 2:13 to refer to the apostles on the day of Pentecost. It says they were "full of new wine." Although it was comparatively fresh and not yet fully aged, it was potentially intoxicating. The mockers in in Acts 2:13 were accusing the apostles of being drunk.

The Old Testament word for new wine is tirosh. Hosea 4:11 says "wine [yayin] and new wine [tirosh] take away the heart." Drunkenness is the result of drinking this new wine.

Sikera/Shakar

The Old Testament word for strong drink is shakar, a term that eventually became restricted to intoxicants other than wine. According to the 1901 Jewish Encyclopedia, it refers to unmixed wine. The New Testament equivalent is the Greek word sikera.

The Historical Data Regarding Wine

Unfermented wine

Because of refrigeration problems in ancient times, wine was often boiled until the liquid evaporated, leaving behind a thick, unintoxicating paste that stored well. It was somewhat similar to modern grape jelly. The people would spread it on bread like a jam, and some still do today in the Middle East.

Pliny the Elder--This Roman historian in his Natural Histories said such wine could last as long as ten years. He wrote of wine that had the consistency of honey.

Horace--This Latin poet wrote in his Odes of unintoxicating wine, that he recommended quaffing under the shade (I:18).

Plutarch--This Greek essayist wrote in his Moralia that filtered wine neither inflames the brain nor infects the mind and the passions, and is much more pleasant to drink. He liked the kind of wine with no alcoholic content.

Aristotle--This Greek philosopher spoke of wine that was so thick, it was necessary to scrape it from the skins it was stored in and to dissolve the scrapings in water."

Virgil--This Latin writer spoke of the necessity of boiling down wine.

Homer--The celebrated bard, in the ninth book of The Odyssey tells of Ulysses, who took with him in his visit to the Cyclops a goatskin of sweet, black wine that needed to be diluted with twenty parts of water before being consumed as a beverage.

Columella--This Latin agronomist, a contemporary of the apostles, wrote that it was common in Italy and Greece to boil wine. That would not have been done if they had wanted to preserve the alcoholic content.

Archbishop Potter--Archbishop Potter, born in 1674, wrote in his Grecian Antiquities wrote to boil down their wines and then drink them four years later (Edinburg, 1813, vol. 2, p. 360). He also refers to Democritus, a celebrated philosopher, and Palladius, a Greek physician, as making similar statements concerning wine at that time. These ancient authorities referred to the boiled juice of the grape as wine.

Professor Donovan--Donovan in his Bible Commentary said, "In order to preserve their wines ... the Romans concentrated the must or grape juice, of which they were made, by evaporation, either spontaneous in the air or over a fire, so as to render them thick and syrupy" (p. 295).

The Talmud--The Talmud, the codification of Jewish law, mentions repeatedly that the Jews were in the habit of using boiled wine (e.g., 'Erabin 29a).

W. G. Brown--Brown, who traveled extensively in Africa, Egypt, and Asia from 1792 to 1798 said that the wines of Syria are mostly prepared by boiling immediately after they are pressed from the grape until they are considerably reduced in quantity, when they are then put into bottles and preserved for use.

Caspar Neumann--Dr. Neumann, Professor of Chemistry in Berlin, 1795, said, "It is observable that when sweet juices are boiled down to a thick consistency, they not only do not ferment in that state, but are not easily brought into fermentation when diluted with as much water as they had lost in the evaporation, or even with the very individual water that exhaled from them" (Nott, London edition, p. 81). The wine evidently lost much of its intoxicating properties after being reconstituted.

Dr. A. Russell--Russell, in his Natural History of Aleppo (London: G.G. and J. Robinson, 1794), said that the concentrated wine juice, called "dibbs," was brought to the city in skins and sold in the public markets. He said it had the appearance of a coarse honey.

The wine that was consumed in biblical times was not what we know as wine today. It was more of a concentrated grape juice with its intoxicating properties basically removed. You cannot defend wine-drinking today on the basis of wine-drinking in Bible times because the two are totally different.

Fermented wine

The procedure

Wine stored as a liquid, however, would ferment. Professor Robert Stein, in his "Wine-drinking in New Testament Times" (Christianity Today, 20 June 1975: 9-11), tells us liquid wine was stored in large jugs called amphorae. The pure, unmixed wine would be drawn out of these jugs and poured into large bowls called kraters, where it was mixed with water. From these kraters, it would then be poured into kylix, or cups. Wine would never be served directly from the amphora without first being mixed. And according to other historical data on this period, the mixture could be as high as a 20:1 ratio or lower than 1:1.

The perception

Drinking unmixed wine was looked upon by Greek culture as barbaric. Stein quotes Mnesitheus of Athens as saying, "The gods have revealed wine to mortals, to be the greatest blessing for those who use it aright, but for those who use it without measure, the reverse. For it gives food to them that take it and strength in mind and body. In medicine it is most beneficial; it can be mixed with liquid and drugs and it brings aid to the wounded. In daily intercourse, to those who mix and drink it moderately, it gives good cheer; but if you overstep the bounds, it brings violence. Mix it half and half, and you get madness; unmixed, bodily collapse."

As a beverage, wine was always thought of as a mixed drink in Greek culture. The ratio of water might have varied but only barbarians drank it unmixed. Stein cites patristic writings that show the early church served mixed wine.

The present

Beer has approximately 4% alcohol, wine 9-11%, brandy 15- 20%, and hard liquor 40-50% (80-100 proof). So, unmixed wine in biblical times measured at approximately 9-11%. Mixed wine, at a 3:1 ratio, would therefore be between 2.25- to-2.75%. By today's standards, a drink has to exceed 3.2% to be considered an alcoholic beverage. The wine they consumed was either completely non-alcoholic or sub- alcoholic by today's standards. To become drunk with wine in those days you would have to drink all day. That is why the Bible commands elders in the church not to be addicted to much wine (1 Tim. 3:3). With such a low alcoholic content, you would have to purpose to become drunk.

So, is drinking wine today the same as in Bible times? No." Living in the Spirit: Ephesians 5:18-20 by John MacArthur

Also see:

What The Bible Says About Wine

There's a reason why it's called dope.

"...[M]ost people don't realize is that the effects of marijuana last a long time. Billy Martin, a pharmacology professor from the Medical College of Virginia, says THC stays in brain cells for several hours. It also is stored in body fat.

If people use marijuana regularly, they face other dangers. The drug can damage and destroy cells in the brain's hippocampus (gray matter). It also reduces the blood flow to the brain by 18 percent, according to Robert Block, a professor at the University of Iowa. People may have trouble learning things.

'Information is absorbed slower because THC is present in the body even when the person is not high,' says Dr. Nadia Solowij, a psychologist at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre in Sydney, Australia...

Fact: Marijuana can damage your brain. And it is often "laced" (mixed) with other drugs (such as crack cocaine or PCP) without your knowing it. This increases the risk of brain damage.

Myth: You can always stop doing marijuana.

Fact: It is an addictive drug that users need in increasing amounts. It also is a "gateway" drug that can lead to other drugs that are even more dangerous.

Myth: Everyone's doing it.

Fact: Only 8 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds are users. Movies, song lyrics, and videos send out false messages. Then people start to believe that everyone is doing it. TV and films make drug use look glamorous, healthy, and "trendy." It's really just the opposite. Drug users dress sloppily, damage their bodies, and lose their friends and self-respect.

Myth: You're not cool unless you smoke marijuana.

Fact: Most cool people like to do well in school. They want to make their dreams come true. When you smoke marijuana, you lose interest in reaching important goals. All you want to do is get high. Nothing else matters.

Myth: Marijuana is great fun.

Fact: Marijuana affects your concentration in school and sports. You end up looking stupid..." Arenofsky, Janice. "Know the Dangers of Marijuana." Current Health 1 24.8 (2001): 6. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 27 Oct. 2010.

See:

Teen Challenge

Response to comment [from an atheist]:  "...I'd say it's very situational."

Some people discuss their experiences:

[An excerpt: Marijuana--a mind-altering drug by Judy Monroe] "The easiest way to avoid marijuana's many harmful effects to not use the drug in the first place.

"When I smoked marijuana, dropped the ball more," remembered Jon, age 17. "I hoped to get a college scholarship for basketball. But I'd get winded after playing a short time. That really scared me, so one night I flushed my stash of pot down the toilet and haven't smoked since."

Betti, another former marijuana user and high school sophomore, said, "I kept falling further and further behind at school. See, before I'd start my homework, I'd smoke a joint or two to relax. Then I'd think about doing my assignments, but I was stoned and I'd never get around to it."

"I was fired from my part-time job at the mall. I'd ring up a sale and suddenly I'd freeze and not know what to do. I would have the customer's check, credit card, or money in my hand and just stare and stare at it. I couldn't think what to do next or even what I was holding. My weird behavior upset customers," admitted Loni, a high school junior. "It hurt to be fired. I wanted to earn money to go to college, but smoking blunts [a cigar packed with marijuana] was screwing up my memory. That's when I quit using pot."

As these teens found out, marijuana messes up lives. Their work, school, and sports activities suffered, and long-term goals and dreams were put in jeopardy. And ongoing marijuana use can cause many health risks." Monroe, Judy. "Marijuana--a mind-altering drug." Current Health 2 24.7 (1998): 16. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 27 Oct. 2010.

Response to comment [from a Satanist]:  "Do you have anything of your own to say?"

Ad hominem.

"Marijuana's been demonized for a long time by people who don't understand it. It's a plant, folks, and it's no more harmful than booze..."

Move over Sophocles (Ingraham).

"...Marijuana reacts quickly in the body. Within a few minutes after inhaling marijuana smoke, a user's heartbeat and blood pressure increase, but reaction time decreases. If marijuana is taken along with other drugs, the heart can beat too fast or erratically. Because the blood vessels in the eyes expand, the user's eyes may look red. Users also develop a dry mouth, and some loss of coordination.

People never know exactly what they get when they buy marijuana. To increase their profits, drug dealers often cut marijuana with various ingredients. One former user said that marijuana she bought was sometimes laced with other dangerous psychoactive drugs such as cocaine, LSD, or speed (methamphetamine).

The immediate effects of marijuana use can include:

problems with short-term memory and learning
distorted perceptions of sights, sounds, time, and touch
trouble with thinking and problem solving
loss of coordination and balance
increased risk of anxiety and panic attacks

a higher risk of engaging in unsafe behaviors, which can result in car crashes; the spread of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS; and other serious or deadly infections.

Sometimes these effects translate into poor performance in school, at work, and in sports...Marijuana can adversely affect driving skills--timing, coordination, alertness, and performance are all affected. Users may have trouble judging distances or react too slowly if a child darts into the street. People high on marijuana are much more likely to cause or be involved in traffic accidents..." Monroe, Judy. "Marijuana--a mind-altering drug." Current Health 2 24.7 (1998): 16. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 27 Oct. 2010.

The Satanist is concerned for your health and the health of others (Jn 10:10).

Response to comment [from a Christian]:  "How does marijuana legalization in California work and at the same time the Federal government won't allow that? How does this sound like two countries while each country don't have power of the other?"

In an editorial Medical Marijuana and the Law [Abstract] "The authors comment on U.S. states laws concerning the use of marijuana for medical purposes. They state that 14 states, including Colorado and California, have proposed laws removing criminal penalties for medical marijuana. According to them, the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American College of Physicians called for amendments in federal-enforcement regulations to establish evidence-based practices in this field. They reveal that the push towards the application of medical marijuana is a result of rejection of petitions by policymakers." Hoffmann, Diane E., and Ellen Weber. "Medical Marijuana and the Law." New England Journal of Medicine 22 Apr. 2010: 1453. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 27 Oct. 2010.

Response to comment [from a Christian]:  "If marijuana becomes legal, will it be like Amsterdam where you can buy them and smoke them at shops or cafes?"

"There's only two things I can't stand in this world..." ~ Nigel Powers.

Anyway, the Dutch are reconsidering that.

Response to comment [from a Satanist]:  "...[T]hat's that. Ignore list for the snake."

Ignore.  "You keep using that word..." ~ Inigo Montoya

Response to comment [from a Christian]:  "I think legalizing it will change what happens at the Mexican borders."

"Mexico man's face skinned and stitched onto a soccer ball in Sinaloa in threat to Juarez drug cartel..." Full text.

You think the drug cartels will stop?

Response to comment [from other]:  [Health in mind? Jn 10:10] "Not like alcohol manufacturers do..."

I'm no fan of embalming fluid distributers.  It's stronger today (discussed earlier).  Marijuana is also stronger than it was in the late 60s (two to ten times more powerful today).

Response to comment [from :  "Fact: Many noted men of intellect have been marijuana smokers..."

Paulos, are you a pot head?

Response to comment [from a Satanist]:  "...[I]t doesn't look like you have any idea what you're talking about..."

I can't understand anything I post.   Ad hominem.

"...[H]ow about you start an anti-booze thread."

There's one somewhere in achieves.  Same concept. 

Response to comment [from an atheist]:  "...[O]nly a Saint would have the authority to quote the bible so heavily in everything they do."

Every believer is called a saint (Acts 9:32, 41).  

Response to comment [from a Christian]  "Was Carl Sagan a "pot head"?"

You're impressed by Carl Sagan?

See:

The god of an old earth: Does the Bible teach that disease, bloodshed, violence and pain have always been ‘part of life’?

Response to comment [from an atheist]: "...[Y]ou get my point that one doesn't have to be the subject of a fact to present it."

Touché. Mark my words--El'Bel is going places (Heb 3:12-13,15).

Response to comment [from a Christian]:  "How can you justify supporting the illegal status of a substance that is less harmful than either alcohol or tobacco, and is no more addictive than either of those substances?"

I've argued against drug and alcohol abuse.  

"All things in moderation."

...including moderation. ~ Petronius

Response to comment [from an atheist]:  "Disease, bloodshed, violence and pain are what make life interesting!"

Would someone put him on a leash?

Regulating Marijuana