Does The Bible Speak about marijuana?
Yes and No! Some believe that marijuana falls under the heading of Genesis 1:29 where God said to Adam: “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.” But how many people ingest marijuana as food? While this passage gives us great freedom when it comes to enjoying His creation, it gives no support to smoking marijuana for the purpose of getting high. We know of no food that we consume by smoking. As Joe Carter has written, “Presumably, no one adds marijuana to brownies because it improves their flavor. The reason to add this particular plant to food is because of its effect on senses other than taste”.[1]
So, aside from this passage in Genesis marijuana is nowhere mentioned in Scripture. While recognizing the omission from any particular mention of marijuana, we must affirm the goodness of God’s creation. Its goodness is not destroyed by the fall. What does this mean for marijuana? If creation is good, then created things are good. Marijuana is good! Does this mean that because God created it, every use of it is God honoring. Absolutely not!! We see this truth with regards to sex, money, and even our use of words as well as many other things. So within all of creation there is a truth that is connected to it: Everything God made is good for its intended purpose. So while marijuana is good because it was created by God we must understand that man seeks to take the beauty of God’s creation and dirty it with our own uses that seek to elevate our prerogatives over Gods.
[1] “Is Recreational Marijuana Use a Sin,” January 6, 2014, The Gospel Coalition Blog