Marijuana 
As more and more states legalize “medical” marijuana the use of this drug is becoming a significant problem in the Church. With the legal prohibition removed many Christians see no problem with the use of this drug. After all, doesn’t Genesis 1:29 clearly say that God has given us every herb for our use? Before using marijuana the believer should consider the following ten factors.

1)	Misuse 
If smoking marijuana is justified on the basis of Genesis 1:29, cocaine use would also be permissible, as it comes from the coca plant. All plants are indeed given for our use, but none of them are given for our misuse. The mere fact that God placed a particular plant in this world does not mean He intended for us to smoke it. In fact, Genesis 1:29 specifies that the various plants are given to us “for food,” not for smoking. This does not mean every plant is to be ingested. Indeed, many plants are lethal if eaten. Therefore, Genesis 1:29 is speaking about food-producing plants. 
2)	Pharmaceia 
The Greek word pharmaceia (from which we get our word pharmacy) appears in lists of sins in Gal.5:20, Rev.9:21, 18:23, 21:8, and 22:15. It is usually translated “magic,” but it refers to the use of drugs - especially hallucinogens like marijuana. Very often when people used drugs at that time it was connected with magic – some attempt to get closer to God through a chemically altered state, but the word itself points to drug use. Each of the passages that include pharmaceia in a list of sins, then, condemns the use of mind altering drugs for their mind altering properties.
3)	Ephesians 5:18 and Drunkenness 
Proponents of marijuana use often point to alcohol as being a more harmful drug. If alcohol is permissible for a believer, it is argued, why not pot?  
When alcohol is used in a harmful way, however, it is not permissible for a believer. Drinking to the point of falling under the influence of the alcohol is forbidden in Ephesians 5:18 “Do not get drunk with wine, but be filled by the Spirit.” At exactly what point does one cross the line from being sober to violating the principle of that verse? Is it the end point (being so plastered you cannot even stand up)? Or the beginning point, when the alcohol first begins to have any effect at all? 
With other sins we understand that sin is to be cut off at the beginning point. Lust must be resisted not only at the end point of sleeping with someone outside of marriage, but at the point of a lustful look. If the sin of drunkenness is to be treated the same way, then the line is crossed the moment the alcohol begins to have an effect on the brain (not an easy thing for the drinker to detect – which is why drinking calls for a great deal of carefulness). The same principle applies to marijuana use. As soon as there is a chemical effect, the line into sin has been crossed.
The juxtaposition of drunkenness with the filling by the Spirit in Ephesians 5:18 implies that we are not to look to wine (or any other substance) for those things we should be seeking from the Holy Spirit, (such as peace, hope, or joy). Inability to sufficiently relax is a spiritual issue that should be addressed spiritually, not chemically.
4)	Clarity of Thought
As Christians we are always on the clock. At any moment you might be in a position to present the gospel to someone, or help a brother or sister who is struggling and in need of counsel, or you might be faced with an especially difficult decision. It is crucial that we keep our minds as lucid as possible all the time. Even those who claim marijuana does no harm to the clarity of their thinking, if they were going to have open heart surgery tomorrow, would probably prefer a sober surgeon over one who had been smoking marijuana on a daily basis.
5)	Weaker Brothers
Suppose there is someone who was saved out of a really wicked, sinful lifestyle that involved all kinds of immorality and pot was a big part of that lifestyle. As a new Christian he might not be able to make distinctions between the pot itself and that whole sinful lifestyle. For him it is just one big package. When a person like that sees a mature believer using marijuana he is likely to think, “It must be OK to dabble in that lifestyle” so they do, and they are then caught up in the whole immoral scene they used to be a part of.
6)	Addiction
Like alcohol and other drugs, some people seem to be easily addicted and others are not. But long term exposure to anything that is addictive to a large percentage of people is foolish if it can be avoided. 
7)	Marijuana Culture
Smoking marijuana brings a person into a culture that is never a good influence. Association with that culture is a step in the wrong direction. 
8)	Gateway to stronger drugs
No one who has never been high or drunk just decides one day to go out and try methamphetamines or heroin. They work their way up to it. And since pot is so socially acceptable it is an easy first step to take. Once a person gets used to the idea of getting stoned, getting stoned on something a little stronger is not such a big step. 
9)	Stewardship
Pot is not a harmless drug. The only sources that claim otherwise tend to be sources with a pro-pot political agenda. Neutral sources consistently agree that there are harmful effects, which brings up issues that have to do with stewardship. It is poor stewardship to do unnecessary harm to one’s body, because doing so limits the ability to serve God’s people and carry out one’s calling.
	Medicine?
Paul urged Timothy to use wine in a medicinal way (1 Timothy 5:23), so why not use marijuana as medicine? In instances where the drug can do more good than harm it would be fine to use it as medicine. However those instances are rare. The pill form of the active chemical in marijuana (dronabinal) can be helpful for the nausea caused by chemotherapy, but not as effective as other nausea medicines. Research is being done on the use of marijuana for chronic pain, but while research has pointed to limited clinical value in one compound of the FDA approved form, the same benefit is not attained in its smoked or raw form. Smoking is an ineffective and illogical way to deliver medicine – dosage cannot be regulated, and tar and other harmful compounds are delivered directly to the lungs along with any helpful cannabinoids. In fact, Dr. Robert DuPont, former director of NIDA, says, “There is no acceptable role in modern medicine for using burning leaves as a drug delivery system because smoke is inherently unhealthy.” Other delivery methods are also problematic. Vaporizing does not filter cancer-causing tar or other chemicals, and eating delivers the same damaging compounds as well as the insecticides and fungi found in unmonitored crops.
Most sources agree that in the short term pot causes distorted perception (sights, sounds, time, touch), problems with memory and learning, loss of coordination, trouble with thinking and problem-solving, increased heart rate, reduced blood pressure, and in many cases anxiety, fear, distrust, or panic.
A person who smokes pot four times a week can have active THC in their system for about two weeks and a daily user up to six to eight weeks. There is even a slang term for it….”perma-buzz”….as in permanently buzzed. This means an “occasional” user who smokes only once every several weeks is in reality a continuous user.
When I have counseled people after they have smoked pot and are still under the influence they are incoherent, distracted, irrational, and either remember nothing I said or remember it in such distorted fashion that it’s not what I said at all. These people tend to think that they are perfectly lucid and can think clearly – even more clearly than normal. It is obvious to everyone around them, however, that they are in a fog. And being in a fog is a very dangerous place to be spiritually. It makes a person easily influenced by Satan. 
Brain researchers tell us that while pot can help with pain due to the fact that there are cannabinoid receptors in the portions of the brain that process sensations of pain and pleasure, there are also many cannabinoid receptors in the parts of the brain that influence memory, thought, concentration, sensory and time perception, and coordinated movement.
When high doses of marijuana are used it can result in hallucinations, delusions, disorientation, and adverse effects on the heart. Within a few minutes after smoking marijuana, the heart begins beating more rapidly and the blood pressure drops. Marijuana can cause the heart beat to increase by 20 to 50 beats per minute, and can increase even more if other drugs are used at the same time. Because of the lower blood pressure and higher heart rate, researchers found that users' risk for a heart attack is four times higher within the first hour after smoking marijuana, compared to their general risk of heart attack when not smoking.
Additionally, even occasional use of marijuana can result in many of the same respiratory problems as tobacco smoking. And marijuana contains more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke and because marijuana smokers typically inhale deeper and hold the smoke in their lungs longer than tobacco smokers, their lungs are exposed to those carcinogenic properties longer when smoking.
Research indicates that THC impairs the body's immune system from fighting disease, which can cause a wide variety of health problems. One study found that marijuana actually inhibited the disease-preventing actions of key immune cells. Another study found that THC increased the risk of developing bacterial infections and tumors. 
If marijuana were a real medicine it would be treated like any other medicine. Can you imagine buying Amoxicillin for your child with an ear infection at a dilapidated “Medical Antibiotic Clinic” that is unregulated and the antibiotic is produced in someone’s basement? If marijuana were a legitimate medicine you would take your prescription to the pharmacy window at Walgreens and buy it just like you do any other prescription. Medical marijuana is thinly veiled effort to get around the current marijuana possession laws. One clinic in Denver is even named “The 420 Medical Marijuana Clinic”. “420” is slang for “Let’s go get stoned”.
10)	Stunted Spiritual Growth
Marijuana has a freezing effect on the maturing process. A young person becomes overwhelmed with his problems, begins smoking marijuana, and escapes from caring about the rent being late, or a relationship falling apart while he plays video games. His problems pile up, so he smokes even more, resulting in more problems, and a decade can slip by. A young person who begins smoking pot at 16 years old and continues until he is 25 will basically be a 16 year old in a 25 year old body.
Most people who smoke marijuana do so for the purpose of reducing stress and anxiety. Marijuana accomplishes this quite effectively, but it does so by creating feelings of apathy. A person who is high on pot does not care about anything. I believe this to be the most damaging effect of marijuana use. Apathy is one of the greatest enemies of the Christian soul. God has promised that we will find Him only when we seek Him with all our heart and soul (Dt.4:29), and He will not demean His greatness by allowing Himself to be found by halfhearted seekers. This means no one who is apathetic can find God.
The Christian life is a constant struggle against apathy. Caring too little about important things derails everything in the believer’s walk with God. For prayer to be effective it must be earnest (James 5:16). Our love for God and hatred of evil must be passionate (Romans 12:9). The Christian life requires brokenness over sin (Isaiah 57:15) and compassion for others (1 Peter 3:8) – both of which are a kind of anxiety. We are to care so deeply for others that their weeping makes us cry, and their joy makes us laugh (Romans 12:15). Apathy destroys all of these things. Why would a true child of God intentionally take a drug that would increase the lethal spiritual disease of apathy?
Many proponents of legalizing pot will make the argument that pot is less harmful than alcohol because no one ever smoked pot and then beat his wife. That may be true. But a pot smoker can watch his wife pack her bags and walk out the door with their children and respond with a giggle, saying, “Oh well, she was hassling me all the time anyway. I need another joint.” Beating your wife is a horrible thing, but not caring about important things and being unable to cope with life’s problems any other way than being stoned are also horrible and destructive.