Stoned For Christ? The use of recreational drugs has been a hot topic amongst Christians for over half a decade especially when it come to Marijuana.With the rapid decriminalization and legalization of Marijuana, it has once again become a topic of great debate. In the debate, millennial Christians hold to the idea that it is their Christian liberty to use marijuana while old Conservative Baptists demonize, condemning and misinterpreting the use of the substance. Both sides of the argument are very adamant and claim to have biblical support for their view with millennials holding to the passage in Genesis 1:29 where all herbs and fruits are given for our consumption and Conservative Baptist lacking a definite explanation or understanding …show more content…
However, driving, occupational or household accidents may result from distortion of time and space relationship and impaired coordination.” the effects of marijuana's “high” can be negative. This statement is supported by the ONDCP where they state that “Marijuana's ‘high’ can affect these functions in a variety of ways, causing distorted perceptions, impaired coordination, causing difficulty with thinking and problem solving, and creating problems with learning and memory.” This is why “In 2010, marijuana was involved in more than 461,000 emergency department visits nationwide.(ONDCP) This is nearly 39 percent of all emergency department visits involving illicit drugs.”(ONDCP) These problems arise from the fact that “Pot is about 20 times more potent than the marijuana on the street in the 60’s and 70’s” as stated by Melinda Henneberger in her article “ Pot Surges Back, It’s a Whole New World”. Due to this new concentrated formula of pot known as hash oil, “ A drop or two of this liquid on a cigaret is equal to a single ‘joint’ of marijuana.”( Gibson 38) Research by the National Center of Biotechnology Information or NCBI agrees with this stance showing that “A dose of 7 mg THC is about a third of a joint. The NCBI also conclude that a dose as low as 6.25mg is enough to impair a driver’s abilities. Another reputable source, the British Medical Journal or BMI, concurs that “ Drivers who consume cannabis within three hours of driving are nearly twice as likely to cause a vehicle collision as those
Marijuana can have very damaging affects on a person?s brain. It can impair a person?s short-term memory, decision-making and signal detection (Cannabinoids). ?In one study conducted in Memphis, TN, researchers found that, of 150 reckless drivers who were tested for drugs at the arrest scene, 33 percent tested positive for marijuana? (Marijuana). After having used marijuana a
Because marijuana is illegal in the United States and decades of government sponsored anti-marijuana programs, it’s often associated with crime though there is no association between weed use and crime. Although there are studies that link marijuana and crime, its almost all focused on illegal distribution. People who are high don’t commit violence. Its common knowledge that a person should never take alcohol or weed and drive, but although its true that marijuana affects the ability to drive, it is not as dangerous as drunk or buzz driving. A recent study show that marijuana use increases the odds of a fatal crash by 83 percent while driving with a blood alcohol level of at least .05 increased the chance of being in a crash by 575 percent. It is clear that the roads are threatened more by alcohol than weed but society is also affected by both in very different ways. Colorado is a state where weed is legal to those twenty one and older and offers a look on marijuana’s effects on society such as states with medical marijuana painkiller overdoses deaths have dropped 25 percent due to people substituting their prescriptions for weed (Christensen, Wilson "Is Marijuana as Safe as -- or Safer than -- Alcohol?”). Alcohol does not lower the number of painkiller but because
Legalized items such as alcohol and tobacco products are far more dangerous than marijuana. Alcohol is a legal substance that alters the mind. An estimated 88,000 people pass away every year from alcohol overdose or alcohol poisoning (Alcohol Facts and Statistics). Unlike alcohol, there has not been a recorded overdose from the illegal plant, marijuana. Alcohol impaired driving is responsible for over ten thousand deaths in America, annually. Data collected since 2001 by Stanford students does not support that driving while high on marijuana increases accidents. Drinking alcohol increases the risk of death by up to 30 years on average (Wing). On the other hand, a study conducted in California involving 65,177 men and women aged 15-49 found after 10 years, marijuana users died no sooner than those who did not smoke it (Wing). Alcohol use increases the risk for cancers of the mouth, esophagus, pharynx, larynx, liver, and breast. Likewise, more than 3 million cases of alcoholism and alcohol dependence have been reported per
While a majority of individuals in the United States may believe that marijuana should be legal, the support among Evangelical Protestants (32%), Catholics (39%), and Mainline Protestants (45%) is much lower. The majority of Christians in America would say that they do not believe that anyone should use marijuana and that it should not be legal to purchase the drug. The problem with this view is that it mixes two different issues together, whether something is moral and whether the government has the jurisdiction to criminalize a particular conduct. I will analyze both of these separate issues below and provide a conclusion for both.
In contrast, there are common believes that marijuana is not addictive such as alcohol and heroin, but research and experiences show that the user will slowly develop addiction on it even after withdrawal. The symptoms of marijuana smoker seem as in a cocaine addict. The drug is the most commonly found in the system of drivers who are fatally injured. Dependency on the drug may lead to use more dangerous drugs in future. It has a high impact on brain especially parts connected to memory and learning. One study, declare that the person who is highly addicted to marijuana in teen years his IQ points will decrease by 8 between the age of 13 and 38. Finally, the legalization of marijuana will lead to highly smoking problems and increase serious health problems, whether it has a medical condition relief property.
Armand, Wynne. "Marijuana: Health effects of recreational and medical use". Ed. Armand,Wynne.Research.2016.Armand provides research information that recreational marijuana can cause health issues in one's life in the forms of long-term and short-term use ranging from battling one's memorization skills, cognitive skills, to how damage to the lungs like bronchitis and asthma. Armand expresses that recreational marijuana is a common use among teenagers to young adults. That how among that age bracket, marijuana consumption is the highest in the nation. That among this bracket when marijuana is consumed in the body, it creates short term effects that can damage these developing brains, which could lead them from growing at the regular pace for
We all know that marijuana is an addictive substance. Legalizing cannabis use is an easy way for people to use drugs. Using marijuana impacts teenagers’ learning outcomes, ability to work as well as driving, increases car accidents. The consequence of using stimulants at a young age leads to conflicts
One argument against legalization is that with legalization comes less safe roads and highways. Between 2007 and 2012 there was a 100% increase in fatal crashes with drivers who tested positive for marijuana. However, this data is highly criticized since thc can stay in someone’s system for a month. So even though there was an increase in fatal crashes involving marijuana, the marijuana in the person’s body may not have been consumed that night or even that week. Since the thc has this effect, it is tough to differentiate between these fatal crashes that directly involve marijuana and crashes that just involve people who have consumed cannabis within the last
A person’s daily life is a stake when marijuana is in their lives. Marijuana has the potential to pose difficulties in daily life or cause someone’s existing problems to become worse ("Health Effects of Marijuana Use."). Consumers have reported lower life satisfaction, worse mental and physical health, problems within relationships, and less success in their schooling and careers as opposed to their non-smoking peers ("Health Effects of Marijuana Use."). Studies have shown that marijuana usage is linked to accidents, increased absences, workman’s compensation claims, and job turnover ("Health Effects of Marijuana Use."). Studies have shown that marijuana usage is linked to accidents, increased absences, workman’s compensation claims, and job turnover ("Health Effects of Marijuana
Nowadays there is a big dilemma to whether legalize marijuana or not and whether marijuana is really a lot more dangerous than tobacco. There are big differences between the two of them, but there is, without any doubt, one that has a lot more negative effects on the human body and the human brain than the other. Due to research we can compare them and conclude which one is worse.
Many children suffer from Epilepsy which is a brain disorder that causes people to have recurring seizures. The seizures happen when clusters of nerve cells, or neurons, in the brain send out the wrong signals. Seizures and epilepsy affect infants and children more than any other age group. Over the year’s doctors have done extensive research to discover what would reduce seizures; however nothing seemed to work until the discovery of using medicnal pot. I think that once the United States removes that bad
The last leading health risk in Marijuana is a decrease in motor skills. Many users of Marijuana have multiple deficits in motor skills because of the harsh chemicals produced when smoking. Merrill claims that, “Marijuana use can produce deficits in reaction time, attention, motor performance and coordination, and information processing for up to 28 days after abstinence” (308). Consecutive daily use of smoking Marijuana is a leading cause to decrease motor skills. Merrill argues that, “Continued heavy use of marijuana is related to poorer complex attention functioning, poorer sequencing ability, slower psychomotor speed, and driving performance” (308-309). Due to impaired motor skills, marijuana users put themselves and others at risk while
This presentation on the risks of driving while under the influence of cannabis was extremely informative while also being engaging and interesting at the same time. In my opinion, the presentation was particularly valuable because drugs have become a very prominent subject among my age group, and not everyone is knowledgeable of all the risks associated with smoking. In health, we learn about the effects of drugs and the risks of drinking alcohol and driving, however, we don’t really cover the topic of smoking and driving, which leads people to think there is nothing at risk. This presentation informs us of the potentially deadly risks of driving while under the influence of cannabis that many people are unaware of. As well, the information provided not only informs people who do/might smoke in the future of what they may be putting at risk, but it also informs people of the risk who then could prevent a friend of potentially making the poor decision of smoking and driving.
Marijuana is starting to become one of the most controversial topics today. Some states are starting to legalize it, such as California, Colorado, and Washington D.C. You also have other states who believe that marijuana is illegal and it should stay illegal. Marijuana is the dried leaves of a pistillate hemp plant that produces THC. The big argument about this plant is that it can be used as a drug. Not even 25 years ago, marijuana was illegal in all parts of the United States, therefore, people have mixed feelings about the new legalization of the plant. Modern day Christians are having a hard time adjusting to the new wave of culture. People have created a divine separation between the argument of legalization. Some Christians believe that smoking weed recreationally is not a sin, while you have others who believe that it is. But which Christian belief is correct? Which side should modern day Christians believe?
in “Marijuana Facts” 1). From an outsider’s perspective, one has to ask why is there so much tension and hesitation in legalizing marijuana? If alcohol is the direct cause of many deaths, while marijuana has not been responsible for any, it only makes sense that our health would not be our greatest concern in legalizing the drug. Also, it is important to understand marijuana consumption is less susceptible to overuse than alcohol or other drugs (Marijuana 10:477). Despite this, critics often argue that marijuana is a gateway to other more potent and harmful drugs. According to Dr. Halbach of the World Health Organization there is no pharmacological link between cannabis and opiates (Marijuana 10:477). This demonstrates the physiological unlikelihood of marijuana being a stepping-stone to other more potent drugs containing opiates. Marijuana does have drawbacks and side effects, as any other drug whether medicinal or recreational. However, putting the drug in perspective helps one to understand the contradiction in legalizing other drugs while continuing to ignore marijuana even though it can beneficial in different capacities.