The legalization of recreational marijuana in Canada and faith

By Kelly Salter and ChristianWeek | July 18, 2017

In 1978, a chaplain by the name of Peter Marshall solemnly declared “Unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything”. In a gloriously free country such as Canada, these words pack a powerful punch. With great freedom, comes great responsibility.

Perhaps the most timely example of this playing out in our country right now is the Liberal government’s recent unveiling of a plan to legalize recreational marijuana by July.1st, 2018. As Canadians, it is our responsibility to seek out information; to use our critical thinking skills to ultimately decide for ourselves what we do with our God-given lives. Easier said than done.

At a recent book club gathering, a good friend of mine asked me point blank if I would consider using recreational marijuana after it is legalized here in Canada. The question caught me off guard and I had to admit that I hadn’t given this option much thought. Thanks to Peter Marshall, I realized I had some serious research to do if I was going to guard against “falling for anything”.

This being the 21st century, there is no shortage of easily accessible information on the topic of marijuana. In fact, there is enough information out there to effectively argue two opposing perspectives on the recreational use of marijuana. Where does one go from here?

As a person of faith, I always have a little voice in the back of my head that says “What would Jesus do?” That little voice serves as a reminder for me that critical thinking is the next step. By asking myself the W5 questions: Who, What, Where, When and Why, I gain great insight into my personal motivations for engaging in or walking away from various life experiences.

After conducting a thorough search on the short and long term effects of marijuana use, I began to wonder; why would I choose to smoke recreational marijuana? Are there any social or cultural influences swaying my decision that need to be identified? Where would recreational drug use lead me? What might happen to me and my relationships? Who will this choice affect the most?

As I get older, and perhaps a little wiser, I also recognize the value of biblical advice that has stood the test of time. The Bible happens to be a great commentary on the fall-out from a variety of choices made by people hundreds of years ago; choices that we still face today!

Proverbs 23:29-35 says,

"Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? Those who tarry long over wine; those who go to try mixed wine. Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly. In the end it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder. Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart utter perverse things.”

This verse clearly warns us against overindulgence and serves as a reminder of what drug and alcohol abuse can do to our lives and the people we love.

As citizens of a free country, we must strive to educate ourselves and engage in critical thinking. There is no time like the present to start thinking about recreational drug use here in Canada. What will you stand for?