Marijuana, Christians and the Implications

Marijuana Does It Cure Disease?

A while ago I was introduced to someone who has Crohn’s Disease – a chronic inflammatory autoimmune bowel disease that affects the lining of the digestive tract) it’s extremely painful.  He said that he takes marijuana oil that he gets from someone else (let’s call him a dealer) and he is sure he has been cured.  But after listening to him very closely for 2 hours I realised he was not cured.  He might have less pain or no pain, therefore he thinks he is cured.  I asked him if he gets high and he said “No, definitely not” or so he says.  He also told me that his Doctors told him if he stops taking his conventional medicine for his Crohn’s Disease and tries cannabis instead to cure him, that they were not going to treat him anymore and basically told him to not come back.

I too suffer with an autoimmune disease called Lupus with many other complications.  I’m on low dose chemotherapy medication that they give to people who have certain types of Leukemia.  This is why I was introduced to the person I mentioned above as I wanted to hear his story regarding what type of medication he was on.

Marijuana Research:

I went to do research on marijuana as a medicine to help a person with serious diseases because I heard of many people (including many Christians) who are now finding it acceptable to take marijuana oil or smoke it on a daily basis . What I found was the following:

• There are 2 types of marijuana strains spoken of today:
  1. Off the street marijuana or the one grown in your own house for that matter.
  2. Medical cannabis.
• THC and CBD are the main compounds found in the marijuana plant.
  • THC gets you high.
  • CBD protects your brain.
• Our brains have THC receptors.
  • The argument is that because our brains have these THC receptors, people now say that ‘we were made by God to smoke cannabis’.  My reasoning is that we also have receptors for Cocaine and Opium as well.  Does that mean we can now take Cocaine and Opium too? Definitely not.
  • The excuse that our brains have marijuana receptors is not an excuse to now use this plant in any form, whether it’s legal or not.
• Street marijuana:
  1. Get’s you high no matter how much you take. THC is psychoactive.
  2. Medical marijuana get’s you high as well.  A dose as low as 2.5mg THC will get you high.
• Medical cannabis:
  • Smoking cannabis for medical reasons has some serious drawbacks:

EFFECTS OF MARIJUANA USE ON THE IMMUNE SYSTEM

• The use of marijuana to treat medical disorders is that marijuana may cause the acceleration or aggravation of the very disorders it is being used to treat.
• Smoking marijuana regularly (a joint a day) can damage the cells in the bronchial passage which protect the body against inhaled microorganisms and decrease the ability of the immune cells in the lungs to fight off fungi, bacteria, and tumor cells.
  • For patients with already weakened immune systems, this means an increase in the possibility of dangerous pulmonary infections, including pneumonia, which often proves fatal in AIDS patients.
• Studies further suggest that marijuana is a general “immunosuppressant” whose degenerative influence extends beyond the respiratory system.
  • Regular smoking has been shown to materially affect the overall ability of the smoker’s body to defend itself against infection by weakening various natural immune mechanisms.  [DTW note: Therefore people with autoimmune diseases like (Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, Crohn’s disease etc.) should never use cannibis, even if’s it’s in an oil and not smoked.]
  • Scientific studies show, that the use of marijuana as a medical therapy can and does have a very serious negative effect on patients with pre-existing immune deficits resulting from AIDS, organ transplantation, or cancer chemotherapy.
  • It has also been shown that marijuana use can accelerate the progression of HIV to full-blown AIDS.  [Emphasis added] Source

MARIJUANA SMOKE:

• Marijuana smoke and cigarette smoke contain many of the same toxins, including one which has been identified as a key factor in the promotion of lung cancer. This toxin is found in the tar phase of both, and it should be noted that one joint has four times more tar than a cigarette. [1]
  • The researchers found that smoking one joint is equivalent to 20 cigarettes in terms of lung cancer. Cannabis smokers end up with five times more carbon monoxide in their bloodstream (than tobacco smokers).  [2]
  • Marijuana smoke contains 50 to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke.  [3]
• User’s risk of heart attack more than quadruples in the first hour after smoking marijuana due to effects on blood pressure and heart rate and reduced oxygen-carrying capacity of blood.  [4]

EFFECTS OF MARIJUANA ON THE BRAIN:

• The pain-controlling effect of marijuana tested on cancer patiends is roughly comparable to that of codeine according to a medical study. [5] However, the effect is hightened due to the “high” feeling or euphoria that occurs when marijuana enters the bloodstream.
• Marijuana is no universal cure.  There is a therapeutic window.  Low doses have no analgesic effect, high doses were associated with reports of significant pain increase, and medium dose cannabis cigarettes provided significant pain relief.  [6]
• Cannabis intoxication is known to cause both mood and perceptual changes. Emotions are saddened, perception of time is impaired, and a distorted spatial perception occurs as a result of cannabis intoxication. The primary feature of  the recreational use of cannabis or marijuana is the production of a euphoria effect, known as the ‘high’. The high can be achieved with doses of THC as low as 2.5 mg in a herbal cigarette and includes a feeling of intoxication, with decreased anxiety, alertness, depression and tension and increased sociability. (Emphasis added) [7]
• The “high” ensues within minutes of smoking and then reaches a plateau lasting two hours or more, depending on the dose. It is not surprising that the majority of people using marijuana end up doing so simply for pleasure, as opposed to using its for it’s original intention which was the medicinal benefit. (Emphasis added) [8]
• Individuals under the influence of marijuana may experience impairment in motor control and compromised short-term memory. In the intoxicated state, memory is often selectively impaired. Marijuana also affects receptors in the cerebral cortex that are responsible for sensory perception, which can cause users to experience altered sensory experiences in areas such as touch, sight, hearing, taste, and smell. It can cause distorted perception, impaired coordination, difficulty in thinking and problem solving, and problems with learning and short-term memory. [8]
• Many users describe two phases of the marijuana high: initial stimulation (giddiness and euphoria), followed by sedation and a pleasant tranquility. [9]

Don’t be fooled by the guy who says “cannabis has cured him” or “helps him with pain”, who then tells you his marijuana oil etc. is medical grade – IT’S NOT.  He will say anything for a sale.  Besides that fact it is illegal to sell and for you to buy marijuana in South Africa.

As A Christian Should You Use Marijuana?

The world says “Let’s all smoke marijuana, there is nothing wrong with it!”  The bible says: “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2)

Would Jesus Christ or His disciples smoke marijuana?  Never!  Believe it or not there are articles out there that claim that Jesus smoked pot. We are to walk as He walked, and sin not.

1 John 2:1-29  1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.  3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. 6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

There are millions (millions is probably an understatement) of marijuana smokers in the world who can’t stop and need their daily fix, sometimes they need their fix a few times a day.  There are millions of people who started smoking marijuana and ended up on harder drugs because the high they get from marijuana is just not good enough anymore.  “…your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 19) Drugs will ultimately destroy your life.

Marijuana and Your Mind:

The main problem with marijuana is what it does to your mind.  When you are high you do not have a sound mind – you can’t think properly or reason properly, you allow Satan a doorway to attack you spiritually.  If you are high on a regular basis, for so called ‘medical reasons’, reading and studying, and understanding the Word of God becomes seriously problematic – in fact reading the Word of God will be the furthermost thing from your mind.

1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”

The Greek word translated as “sober” is G3525 νήφω ‘nepho’, which literally means “to abstain from wine”.  From this it derived a broader meaning of being sound of mind, self-controlled, free of confusion or clear headed. From this verse, we can see that Christians are to avoid intoxicants that impair clear thinking.

Clouded thinking can lead to questionable moral choices.  The bible says:  “Woe to you who make your neighbors drink, who mix in your venom even to make them drunk so as to look on their nakedness!” (Habakkuk 2:15).

The reference to “mix in your venom” is the ancient practice of adding herbs (or drugs like marijuana) to wine to make its intoxicating effects more potent. Christians have a hard enough time battling temptations without making Satan’s job easier by taking drugs that alter one’s judgment and self-control. Use of intoxicants has also been closely associated with witchcraft and sorcery in the Bible. The Greek word pharmakeia, translated “sorcery,” literally means “to administer drugs.” As with our English word “drugs,” the context must be considered to determine the meaning. In biblical times, pagans incorporated the use of drugs to induce altered states of consciousness, during which they supposedly communed with their gods. This would be similar to the modern-day practice of voodoo and other forms of witchcraft. The apostles strongly condemned the use of such drugs to produce altered mind states because the drugs lowered inhibitions and self-control. (Galatians 5:19-21; Revelation 9:20-21; 21:8; 22:15). The Christian disciplines his body and keeps it under control (1 Corinthians 9:27), so that he is able to set his mind on things above (Colossians 3:2). (Emphasis added) [10]

If you use marijuana to ‘relax your mind’ due to worldly stress, listen to what the bible says:

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Matthew 11:28-30  28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Philippians 4:6-7  6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

When you study the Word of God the stresses of this world disappear as the Holy Spirit instills in you the fact that Jesus Christ is looking after you.

Is Marijuana Legal In South Africa?

If you are a Christian and you heard that it’s legal in South Africa to now grow and smoke cannabis at home for so called medicinal use (but not distribute), think again.  See this article on the harmful effects marijuana has on your body the moment it enters your system.  Also it must be noted that people react differently when using drugs, “by disrupting neurotransmission” causing people to “think, feel, and behave” differently.  People who suffer from any form of epilepsy (even if it’s mild) should never take marijuana.

Pick n Pay promoting Dagga Use:

Browsing through the newspaper today (17 Aug 2017) I got the shock of my life.  An advert in the Pick n Pay promotions paper for Pick n Pay Newmarket Lemon Tree branch.  A dagga duvet for you or your kids.  How lovely.  How quickly is South Africa and the rest of the world spiraling out of control right into Satan’s hands.