Marijuana

Two good articles on marijuana, as its legalization in two states causes consternation, celebration, and... whatever.

Stephen Webb at First Things considers carefully whether alcohol and pot are similar enough to call it hypocrisy to favor alcohol, but reject pot, both legally and for recreational use.  Alcohol is abused widely and we don't criminalize it, nor should we.  So why not legalize pot?  Webb answers in depth yet briefly.  (Subscription required for full article, but you should subscribe anyway!)

Warren Cole Smith at World Magazine argues that medical uses of marijuana should be pursued, while keeping recreational use illegal.

Both of these articles say today's pot will impair you nearly immediately, while alcohol requires several drinks to do so.  I have friends who ardently deny this is the case, from their own personal experience in their school days.  The articles point out that today's pot is stronger than 10-20 years ago....

Hm.  Are we headed for normalizing pot because baby boomers had dud joints or weaker ones than today's?  Or because we don't want to be hypocrites by not going back to Prohibition? (Confuses different substances.)  Or out of a principle to not add to Scripture legalistically?  Scripture says plenty about self-control and productivity, which pot works against.  Yes, there is a time to relax, but if your judgment is impaired, you've crossed the Scriptural line.

I'm an advocate of keeping pot illegal, given all the studies which I believe about the long term bad effects on the body and almost immediate impairment.