"Going"

MARY'S IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT

When the Association recorded, "Along Comes Mary" in 1966, many did not understand that Mary was a nickname for Mary Jane or marijuana. Back then, she was an occasional fellow traveler because she was illegal. Mary is no longer a passenger, along for some cheap thrills; she is now in the driver's seat"at least in Canada. Yes, Canada has now made pot legal throughout all of its provinces.

According to an article by Gene Johnson and Rob Gillies of Associated Press (appearing in the Orlando Sentinel on October 14, 2018), marijuana became legal there the previous day (A6), following in Uruguay's footsteps. Many have predicted that the United States will follow suit, but so far it is only legal in nine states (California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Colorado, Nevada, Maine, Vermont, and Massachusetts). One candidate for governor is for legalizing it here in Florida (he also supports abortion on demand and favors special rights for those identifying with LGBT).

The rationale of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was simple. Why not make a Black Market crop legal so that it can be regulated and taxed? Sure, that worked really well with alcohol and prostitution. The latest figures are for 2017: "An estimated 10,874 people" were killed in drunk driving crashes involving a driver with an illegal BAC (.08 or greater)." Wonderful! All it costs in order for people to linger long at wine and avail themselves of a six-pack is almost 11,000 lives a year. Most of those who died were probably innocent of any wrongdoing.

We all probably either personally know someone or are aware of an incident in our local community, such as the 8-year-old girl who was struck while walking home from school by the drunken mother of another child, who did not even realize she had hit anyone with her car. Or maybe we have heard of someone like the high school senior who was on her way to pick up her high school class ring when an intoxicated driver struck her car, resulting in her death. How would any parents feel if it had been their daughter, and the girl they raised (on the brink of adulthood) was suddenly taken? Would they gather round after the funeral swilling down beer as a celebration of her life?

The Black Market

Once marijuana is legalized, does the Black Market disappear? No. It may diminish somewhat, but illegal pot can be obtained more cheaply and more anonymously. If someone is a regular toker, according to legal records, then if he causes a death, the evidence will be readily available. They could still test him, but the use of marijuana stays in the system, and the time of ingestion may not be known. (In other words, he could say, "I only tried it once, and that was three weeks ago.") Problems will not go away.

Do people still gamble illegally? Sure"because there are no taxes on it. Do women still obtain illegal (and sometimes unsafe) abortions? Yes. Even though it is legal, a young girl may not want any religious relative to know. She might fear that the truth may get out even though records are confidential. Taxes on cigarettes are so high that many are buying them on the Black Market as well. The very argument used to sell the legalization of any vice (collecting taxes) is the very reason that some still practice it illegally.

Will We Legalize Everything?

Now that the door has been opened to marijuana, what about all the other drugs"cocaine, heroin, and various manufactured substances such as LSD and PCP? Why does not the same rationale hold for legalizing them? In fact, marijuana has long been viewed as a gateway drug (although obviously not all users graduate to "high"er levels). Maybe certain states will want to compete for the "tourist" trade and change their slogans to something like Missouri, the "Show Me the Pot" State; Maine, the Cocaine State; California, the Golden Arm State; Nevada, the Silver Needle State; New Mexico, the Land of Chemical Enchantment State; Oklahoma, the Sooner You Get High the Better State, or Washington, the Ever Green Marijuana State.

Two excellent reasons exist for not legalizing "pot." First, the use of such substances (alcohol included) runs counter to the Scriptures. Being sober and exercising self-control are advocated in the Scriptures (Gal. 5:22-23; 2 Peter 1:5-7, et al.) The first effect of alcohol is on the brain; it attacks a person's good judgment and causes them to do things they would never consider if they were sober. It loosens moral inhibitions. The whole idea of "getting high" is contrary to Biblical teaching.

Furthermore, the body belongs to God. He created it, and He redeemed it. Our bodies do not belong to ourselves (1 Cor. 6:18-20). They are not to decorate with tattoos like a birthday cake, and they are not to be pumped full of smoke and various toxins which defile them. Paul wrote that he would not be brought under the power of anything (1 Cor. 6:12).

Yet nicotine is as addictive as just about any substance. A significant portion of the country's population cannot break away from alcohol"even after trying to "dry out" several times. These are substances that Christians should never allow to enter their bodies. All of these have detrimental effects on the body.

The second reason they should never become legal is that, once they are, a huge deterrent has been taken away. Of course, some will always do what is illegal. Murder has been around since Abel was killed by his brother. Almost every country has laws against it, but people still try to find ingenious ways to get away with it (read Agatha Christie). Despite ever-present lawbreakers, the majority will not engage in something that has been deemed civilly inappropriate. All one needs to do is to consider that during prohibition 30% of the population drank alcohol. After the amendment outlawing it was repealed, the number soared to 70%, where it remains. Likely, the same thing will occur with marijuana use. A follow-up article by the same two authors, plus Tracey Lindeman, illustrates this point well. Consider the rationale used.

"I don't need to be a criminal anymore, and that's a great feeling," Canadian singer Ashley MacIsaac said outside a government run shop in Nova Scotia. "And my new dealer is the prime minister!" (A3).

The harmful effects of marijuana are various, but when youngsters use it, it impairs thinking, memory, and learning ability. Over time it destroys synapses in the brain. More immediate are the effects of being involved in traffic accidents. According to an article published in the Orlando Sentinel on October 21, 2018, the Insurance Institute recently released a report showing that states that have legalized marijuana for recreational purposes are experiencing an increase in traffic accidents (A21). Although the increase is only 6%, it will probably result in higher insurance premiums. In 2006 drugs were detected in 30% of all accidents, according to the National Transportation Safety Board; in 2015, that figure had increased to 46%. Young people should stay far away from any contact with marijuana or any other drug that can alter their reflexes"including various forms of alcohol.

Vaping

Meanwhile, while everyone is rejoicing with Canada and the nine states here that have legalized marijuana, some are concerned about a vaping epidemic. The Food and Drug Administration announced recently "a massive crackdown (no pun intended) against retailers selling e-cigarettes to minors, according to the Orlando Sentinel of September 13, 2018 (A1). The article by Laurie McGinley states:

The latest data, not yet published, show a 75 percent increase in e-cigarette use among high school students this year compared with 2017 (A1).

The number of high school students vaping has skyrocketed so much that the FDA has sent notice to the e-cigarette shops that if they are caught selling to those under 18, they will face penalties. They can also be charged with hefty fines for repeated offenses (A3). Many companies are using cream and fruit flavorings in their products, which are enticing young people to become hooked on nicotine.

Ironically, the e-cigarette was created to get people off cigarettes (studies of success are inconclusive). Using them is less harmful than actually smoking regular cigarettes, since the latter contain other harmful ingredients besides nicotine. However, the packaging of the e-cigarettes has enticed young people (who were not smoking at all) to try them"in an effort to look "cool." The result has been to actually get them hooked on nicotine"and possibly go on to regular smoking"thus having the opposite effect for the existence of e-cigarettes in the first place.

Another article in the Orlando Sentinel, from September 18, 2018, explains that nearly 2.1 million middle and high school students have been vaping. However, about half of those have not just been using vaporized nicotine"they are vaporizing marijuana (A3). In 2016, one in three youngsters who tried vaping used the device with marijuana. The vaporizing devices have grown into a multi-billion dollar industry even though they are relatively new.

Marijuana can be purchased in liquid form (containing the ingredient THC) in states where it is now legal. Juul, the most popular supplier of the devices is cooperating with the FDA to keep their product out of the hands of youths under 18. And they do not sell marijuana pods"but users can refill cartridges with cannabis oil, and obviously many do.

Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil were a great songwriting team. Over 50 years ago one of their big hits was "Kicks," made popular by the group Paul Revere and the Raiders. They were asked to write an anti-drug song by Terry Melcher (the son of Doris Day), and "Kicks" was the result. It has been listed as number 400 out of the 500 greatest songs of all time. It reached #4 on the American charts and (ironically) #1 in Canada, which has now legalized marijuana.

Space prevents reprinting all the lyrics, but they are available on the Internet. One portion of the song contains these words:

No, you don't need kicks
To help you face the world each day;
That road goes nowhere.
I'm gonna help you find yourself
Another way.

The question is repeatedly asked, "Don't it seem like kicks just keep getting harder to find?" Escalation is a huge problem once one begins. All should avoid polluting and harming their bodies with these chemicals.

Those who do not know what they are saying shouldn't be: