Liberty Minute March 27 2014

Is marijuana more dangerous than alcohol? Although death by alcohol poisoning is commonplace, there is not a single reliable account of a marijuana-induced overdose. Fatal alcohol-involved traffic accidents occur every day, and account for more than 10,000 deaths annually. Thousands of additional deaths ? through overdoses and accidents ? take place each year because of misuse, often unintentional, of legal prescription drugs, which are dramatically more dangerous than marijuana.

Some critics of the growing movement to decriminalize marijuana use concede that alcohol prohibition didn't work, and that misuse of alcohol is a huge social program ? but insist that marijuana should be illegal in order to avoid contributing to this existing problem. In a recent essay, one such critic suggested that the real problem was that ?the penalty for possession of marijuana has ? become the equivalent of being given a parking ticket.? This is a profoundly ill-informed generalization, given that there are many people currently serving lengthy terms behind bars ? including life imprisonment ? for marijuana possession.

The Bible treats drunkenness as a sin without prohibiting alcohol consumption. We should have a similar perspective on marijuana use ? and recognize that government has neither the authority nor the right to punish sin.

Let us take back the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free.