Please! Please don’t throw your coffee at your computer (it might make the keys unresponsive), ignore my post, or decide I’m a heretic until you hear me out. I certainly didn’t vote yes when the legalization of pot appeared on the ballot. Furthermore, I would vote no again, and again.
On the other hand, when I read, “‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool,’” (Acts 7:49), and “… he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new’” (Rev 21:5), I remind myself that Jesus, our Most High Priest, is in full control of all things. Furthermore, these Scripture references, among many others, cause me less angst, and the issue of legalized pot becomes a bit less menacing.
For example, I recently read the second of a three part series in the Denver Post in which the headline was “Legal pot bucks fill community coffers. Revenue helps with local problems ….” I am not so naive as to suggest that legal pot proponents had such lofty, altruistic motives in their minds when they fought the legislature to put the issue on the ballot. Frankly, I was flabbergasted when the ballot measure passed.
Still, when I see a picture of Alfredo Borj, 14 years old, practice his layup on a new basketball court at Cottonwood Park in Parachute, Colorado[1], I smile.
Of course, not all small cities use their fair share of the tax revenue for a much-needed park. As reported, “Some officials seized on it to address social and economic challenge, while others caught up on long-deferred maintenance and improvements.” [2]
So, what should our response to legal pot, especially those varieties used for medicinal purposes, be?
I just wonder if while we find it conflicting to our own
moral compass, and don’t applaud it, perhaps we should look at some of the good
things coming from it, and smile.
[1] The Denver Post, December 31, 2018
[2] John Aguilar, contributor, The Denver Post, December 31, 2018