HIGHER GROUND

Is There a Christian Position on Marijuana?

EVERY YEAR around the 20th of April, the press is infiltrated with a
surge of pot-related stories, complete with as many tongue-in-cheek
headlines as editors will allow. This year's coverage was somehow
different, mostly in that it didn't evaporate into thin air (now even
I'm doing it) after the "holiday." Rather, it seems, the coverage
around marijuana picked up steam over the week of April 20 and is
carrying on even now, well into the summer.

One explanation is that in the midst of a recession, America is
willing to consider hitting the pipe, toking the spliff, bonging the,
um, bong. Mainstream politicians like California Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger are actually considering the legalization of marijuana
(though it won't happen this year). Congressmen like Barney Frank
from my home state of Massachusetts and Ron Paul from Texas are also
on board. Reversing the Bush administration's policy, Attorney
General Eric Holder announced that Federal law enforcement will not
pursue medical marijuana users in California, where the drug is
legalized for medicinal purposes.

American culture seems to have moved on a long time ago. References
to marijuana use are so breezily tossed around that one might assume
that the stigma related to this still illegal drug has gone the way
of lava lamps. In the Christian world, weed legalization is mostly
absent from the conversation, but there, the silent assumption about
marijuana's legality probably goes the other way.

But younger Christians might be a different story. In late April, the
evangelical blog Burnside Writer's Collective quizzed its young-ish
readers on a series of pot-related questions. Should marijuana be
legalized? Fifty percent of responders thought so, and the next
largest percentage said it should at least be decriminalized. Have
you ever smoked marijuana? Fifty percent said yes, 40 said no. The
10 percent in the middle respond, in uniquely young evangelical
fashion, that they have smoked once or twice. (Doesn't that just mean
"Yes?") Finally, an overwhelming majority claim that even if weed was
legal, they still wouldn't smoke it.

Like many other Western political dilemmas, Scripture doesn't have an
entry on cannabis-not even general statements on hallucinogens.
Without the comfort of "the Bible tells me so," it seems that
Christians take an array of positions on their consumption, from
"it's awesome" to "it's illegal" to "it's witchcraft." With so little
on the subject in our texts, Christians must consider the same
questions as any public official: would the legalization of marijuana
be good for our economy? Would it be bad for the youth? Are the hurt
it might cause drug cartels and the lessened burden on the penal
system more convincing arguments than the claims that it is a gateway
drug or will drastically increase drug use?

Perhaps the two most convincing arguments for marijuana legalization
are the fiscal benefits of legalizing and taxing the sale of
marijuana, and the impact that decriminalization would have on the
overrun justice system. Just as the government slaps a tremendous
tax on the sale of tobacco products (it's over $5 in New York City),
taxes on marijuana products could create a much-needed stream of
income for all levels of government. Additionally, if marijuana use
became legal, the resources, monetary and otherwise, spent on
arrests, prosecutions and incarcerations of minor drug offenders
could be redistributed to other, arguably more pressing endeavors.

Rather than admitting defeat in the never-ending War on Drugs,
legalization could in many ways, be a means for the United States to
score a major victory. The blow to drug dealers, gangs and cartels
that are substantially fueled by illegal marijuana sales could be
nearly incalculable and, again, the government could focus its
energies on stopping the flow of harder drugs. Finally, by legalizing
the production and sale of marijuana, the Federal Drug Administration
and other government agencies would have the opportunity to regulate
it, ensuring that users don't become seriously ill due to tainted or laced pot.

For the time being, however, the seemingly more influential arguments
are those in favor of marijuana's continued illegality. Without a
doubt, the most common argument against legalization is the assertion
that marijuana is a "gateway drug." The gateway drug theory
postulates that those who use pot eventually find their way into
other, more serious drugs. Though it is often pointed out that this
is nearly impossible to measure, it still remains the most
influential line of reasoning against marijuana use, both legally and
illegally. It is also argued that legalization would make it easier
for children and teenagers, for whom the drug would presumably be
illegal, to gain access to pot.

There is one other argument for legalization that may tip the scales:
the fact that the marijuana's illegality is a major inconsistency in
government policy. Selling or smoking weed is a criminal offense,
while alcohol and tobacco products are freely produced, sold and
consumed by Americans. Sure, we need the FDA to regulate and restrict
drugs that have been proven far more harmful than beneficial, but
marijuana is no more harmful than alcohol when both are used in
moderation, and when given the choice, I'd prefer to be around
someone who smoked too much pot rather than drank too much. Of
course people will abuse marijuana as they do alcohol, but we don't
accept that as an argument for prohibition.

No one should be surprised when, sooner rather than later, the real
possibility of legal marijuana becomes even more ubiquitous in the
news and in everyday conversations. Changes like this don't come
quickly, nor should they. The fact that this debate has been going
on for decades and continues with no end in sight is not necessarily
a bad thing. Let us consider all points of view and, in the end,
make the choice that is best not only for our economy and government,
but, indeed, for our citizens as well. With no easy answers in sight,
perhaps this is what it means to work out our faith with fear and
trembling. And you know what they say is good for calming that
trembling don't you ...