By now you’ve probably heard that Colorado is the first state to legalize marijuana. If you watch late night television at all, chances are good that you’ve heard a number of jokes about it.
Does simply legalizing something make it a good option? My friends on the Physicians Resource Council of Focus on the Family have drawn attention to many of the downsides of marijuana: diminished cognitive function (including concentration, memory, learning and judgment), impaired motor skills, and decrease in motivation, not to mention health problems that may result from the irritating and toxic mix of chemicals that are inhaled when pot is smoked.
Add to all this the fact that marijuana keeps bad company. Marijuana is often referred to as a “gateway drug.” Now of course that doesn’t mean that anyone who tries marijuana is fated to a life of drug use, but research shows that marijuana use in many young people leads to the abuse of alcohol or use of illicit drugs (or the abuse of legal prescription medications).
Of all the problems associated with marijuana, however, the moral concerns might be the strongest. The Bible is very clear in warning against drunkenness (Ephesians 5:18). Granted, a person might drink a glass of wine at dinner and not become intoxicated, but what about marijuana? Isn’t “intoxication” the main point of using marijuana for recreational purposes?
As a father of two boys who’ll have the legal right to try marijuana when they turn 21 here in the state of Colorado, all these things make me uneasy, but they don’t make me disheartened. My responsibilities as a dad don’t hinge on whether a particular drug is legal or illegal. My job remains the same: to raise young men who know and love God, to teach them to lean completely on Him, and to give them the tools to make wise decisions for life.
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