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Genesis 1:29-31 And God said, "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…it was very good!
A Short Excursus on Marijuana-Is it just “very good?”
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Naming MarijuanaFolklore name derives from Mexican Pancho
Villa gang 1895 – Maria Juana
Naming Marijuana
• Weed• Pot• Smoke• Bud• Ganja• Chiba
• Herb• Dank• Dope• Grass• 420• Paca lolo
Naming Marijuana
• Medical marijuana• Recreational marijuana
(Point – Same, just renamed for context)
Medical Marijuana, i.e. OG KushStone Age Pharmacy Dispensary
Facing Marijuana
• Dried leaves and female flowers a member of the Cannabaceae or hemp family
• Over 400 chemical compounds including over 60 cannabinoids both non and psychoactive
• Two species predominate: cannabis sativa and cannabis indicus
• Sophisticated cultivation changed 1970’s concentrations - about 10 mg THC /joint ; 2015 - 150 mg-300 mg
Numerous chemical compounds depending on strain and growth conditions
Cannabinoids Pharmacology
• Most potent psychoactive compound: ▵ 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta 9 THC)
• Additive synergists and modifiers: ▵ 8-THC, cannabinol
• Cannabidiol not a CB1/2 agonist• Highly potent psycho-active major metabolite
11-hydroxy-THC
Absorption
• 50% of the THC herbal cannabis is inhaled, all absorbed - Peak onset minutes
• Oral ingestion less; blood concentrations reached are 25-30% - Peak onset 0.5 -2 hours
Distribution
• Blood flow dependent• Brain/CNS• Peak concentration in fatty tissues 4-5 days
Excretion
• First half-life about 7 days• Complete elimination about 30 days• Urine detection maximum times are 7 days and 21 days
respectively depending on occasional vs chronic usage
(point neuro-impairment can last a couple of days)http://jat.oxfordjournals.org/content/33/8/469.full.pdf
Mechanism of Action
Specific cannabinoid receptor sites
Neuronal Cannabinoid Receptors
CB1 receptors
Spleen and Immune cell Receptors
CB2 receptor
Cannabidiol
• Anti-convulsive• Anti-nausea • Non-psychoactive compound
Cannabinoid Receptors
Cannabinoid Receptor
THC Actions
• Euphoria/Dysphoria• Hallucinations• Slowing of reaction
time, motor incoordination
• Defects in short-term memory
• Somnolence • Anxiolytic
• Dose-related tachycardia
• Immunosuppression• Anti-inflammatory• Analgesic• Withdrawal upon
chronic use-i.e. restlessness, anxiety, insomnia
Administration: Inhalation, Edibles, Massage oils etc
Genesis 1:29-31 And God said, "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…it was very good!
Genesis 1:29-31
• Pre-fall• Post-fall – cannabis like the rest of creation
subject to the chaos of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3:17-19)
• i.e. cannabis seen as an entheogen “("generating the divine within") is a chemical substance used in a religious, shamanic, or spiritual context that may be synthesized or obtained from natural species)”
Bizarre Exegesis
• kaneh-bosm (vaeB ... hNEhi-Cannabis) use by prophet-shaman Moses. Exodus 3:2-3
• “Old Testament Prophets were none other than ancient shamans, and that cannabis and other entheogens played a very prominent role in ancient Hebrew culture… solid evidence of the Hebrew Sula Benet, a little known Polish etymologist from the Institute of Anthropological Sciences in Warsaw.” 'http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/1090.html - By Chris Bennett - Wednesday, May 1, 1996
Spiritual considerations important in consideration marijuana usage
• the ability to think soberly so as not to hinder grace (cf. 1 Peter 1:13)
• the ability to continue an unhindered work of edification (Leviticus 10:9; )
• the absence of causing weaker brothers to stumble (1 Corinthians 8:9; 10:23-32)
• not being mastered by the medicinal (1 Corinthians 6:12)
Plausible Medicinal Uses
• Cancer – anti-nausea• Pain relief – contested• Insomnia – contested• IBS – plausible • Point – evidence based medicinal use
Spiritual Considerations – Final Reflection
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
