It is a sad commentary on society when the president of the United States publicly states that an illegal drug (at least in 48 states) is no worse than alcohol.
President Barack Obama’s comments about marijuana were published in the Jan. 27 issue of The New Yorker and were released this week. He admitted to using marijuana as a “kid” and said he views it as “a bad habit and a vice.”
I view it as illegal. And until it is made legal in all 50 states, no political leader, regardless of party, should dismiss it simply as a vice.
We live in such a hypocritical society. Society, in general, condemns smoking cigarettes. But, it’s okay to smoke marijuana? It’s no wonder that morals are on a decline in our nation. Our younger generation is confused by the mixed signals.
As to whether marijuana is “no worse than alcohol,” that’s up to debate. If you use too much of either item, it impairs your thinking and potentially endangers others.
One Tweet from Jim Richards in Texas summed it up well: “I would say rattlesnakes are no worse than copperheads.”
The best solution is to keep marijuana illegal.
Before It Hits the Press... 
January 22, 2014 at 3:53 pm |
Thank you for speaking up for those of us who are in agreement with you. We have such poor leadership in our nation!
January 22, 2014 at 3:55 pm |
Amen Lonnie, I agree with you. It is a sad day when the US president makes such an uninformed and shallow statement concerning the use of marijuana.
January 22, 2014 at 3:59 pm |
A sad day, indeed. Just what we need – Another encouragement toward mind-altering drug abuse.
January 22, 2014 at 4:04 pm |
Thank you Bro. Lonnie. This President has done more to hurt and harm the moral climate of America than any other President in our history. Thank the Lord for your stand against the sins of our culture. I am a native Tennessean, however, I am Pasting Rebels Creek Baptist Church in Bakersville NC. May you use the media that the Lord has placed you in, to inform us Believers. May God continue to bless you. Bro. Charles Murrell
January 22, 2014 at 4:14 pm |
This is just one of the bad decisions this president has made that is contrary to his profession of being a Christian. Supporting gay marriage and abortion convinces me every decision he makes is a political decision.
January 22, 2014 at 4:15 pm |
Reblogged this on Canine Mohawk.
January 22, 2014 at 4:16 pm |
I don’t support the use of marijuana but what I am against is Government having the authority to tell us what we can and can not use. With the over empowerment of our current government, Democrats and Republicans alike, I sure hope that the FDA does not deem bacon to be a risk to our health and should be made illegal.
Hypocritical thinking and logic seems to abound in our Nation…both on the progressive left and conservative right. Praise God Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. How about we stop being against everything and for nothing and get back to our first love…JESUS and bringing lost sinners to salvation through Him.
January 22, 2014 at 4:17 pm |
Where is the US Surgeon General and American Lung Association? I can’t hear them speaking out about the harm of marijuana. Even the entities that are supposed to be resounding the moral compass of good health practices are mute.
January 22, 2014 at 4:23 pm |
great article Lonnie. Share it on my Facebook page. you got a Facebook account?
January 22, 2014 at 4:23 pm |
Thanks for your stand against these kinds of evil in our society. It is a sad day when the leadership of our nation does not realize the impact of such statements made by our president and others in leadership. May your tribe increase!!! Jerry E. DeZearn
January 22, 2014 at 4:24 pm |
Thank you Brother, I too am saddened by the lack of moral compass provided by the leadership of this country and the pandering to those with alternative lifestyles and illegal activities in order to get their political support. But we must accept the fact that Non-Christians will act as Non-Christians and we should know that when a dog urinates on a fire hydrant, he is just being a dog. Until Christians keep sharing and reaching out to our Young people with the message of the Gospel and allow them to become new Creations in Christ, this trend of Godlessness will continue. The only hope for our President and our Nation and our State is Christ. Yesterday I saw the Prayer Truck with Bell in Murfreesboro and I honked and waved. This is a wonderful program that is the only hope for this State and nation and my wife and I will support it here in Murfreesboro as will my congregation at Short Creek Baptist Church. May God bless you as you continue to stand for the values we hold dear as Christians.
Pastor Mark Rosson
Short Creek Baptist Church
January 22, 2014 at 4:24 pm |
The President made a mistake giving a pass to marijuana. “a decrease in short-term memory, dry mouth, impaired motor skills and reddening of the eyes.” Wikipedia
“An enduring question in the field is whether individuals who quit marijuana, even after long-term, heavy use, can recover some of their cognitive abilities. One study reports that the ability of long-term heavy marijuana users to recall words from a list was still impaired 1 week after they quit using, but returned to normal by 4 weeks. However, another study found that marijuana’s effects on the brain can build up and deteriorate critical life skills over time. Such effects may be worse in those with other mental disorders, or simply by virtue of the normal aging process.” http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/marijuana-abuse/how-does-marijuana-use-affect-your-brain-body
People I know who use pot regularly use it daily during lunch while at work. Their ability to learn and deal with new life events is affected to say the least.
January 22, 2014 at 4:25 pm |
Nebuchadnezzar was put into position by God to fulfill God’s plan!!!! I believe that a Muslim was placed as President of the United States of America to fulfill God’s word.. We as Christain’s can see this before our eyes if we have studied his word and we need to be about the work he gave us for the time draws short for the return of Christ..
January 22, 2014 at 4:29 pm |
No worse than alcohol? Man that says allot. Alcohol has destroyed so many lives. Rehab facilitys are full with people standing line hoping to get help. Alcohol has taken so many lives and destroyed so many familys. So I agree with the previous statment “rattle snakes are no worse than copperheads” Why not add cocane & meth to the list Mr President? We need to reach those that are bound in their addiction. We need to Love them and show them the way to Jesus who can heal them and set them free! Amen!!!!! There is no hope coming from Wash-DC. Our only hope is in Jesus & His Grace!!!!
January 22, 2014 at 4:31 pm |
Our nation is in a sad state of affairs whose leadership is crippling our nation. May U.S. believers in Christ work relentlessly, and tirelessly to be well rooted in God’s Word in preparation of the never ending spiritual battle
January 22, 2014 at 5:20 pm |
Thank you for your comments. I agree totally with your view. Could you send a letter to the President? We continue to pray for our President and leaders of our country, but it is truly sad that our leadership seems to be so weak.
January 22, 2014 at 5:46 pm |
Our President says it is ok to be gay or a lesbian, now he says marijuana and alcohol are just a vice. As a teenager, I did a lot of things that I sure would not want my Grandchildren or Church youth to do. Smoking kills, ask my deceased nephews who smoked. Ask my sister-in-law, who has cancer of the lungs. Drinking kills about 50% of people in car accidents. Marijuana, in time will do the same. A President or a Pastor are to set proper moral examples for our youth, not put a stamp of approval on these vices. If all these vices continue in our country, gays-lesbians included, we will not last much longer as a country, unless our leaders repent. GREAT Job, Bro. Lonnie, God has you where you need to be. Jerry Foust, Pastor of Centerville First Baptist Church, Centerville, Tennessee
January 22, 2014 at 5:54 pm |
It does not take an excessive amount of either drug, alcohol nor marijuana, for the user to be impaired. In Scripture, we are told, “be not drunk (impaired) with wine, wherein is excess…”. Many have taught that this means not to use wine excessively. But, that is not what this teaches. The term, wherein is excess”, carries the meaning that things enter our life, that we do not need there, as a result of being impaired by alcoholic beverages. Any impairment of proper thought causes us to be deceived, and also introduces things into our lives that are “in excess” of what we need.
January 22, 2014 at 6:10 pm |
So, while we’re in the neighborhood, whose sin was the “greater”, the woman taken in adultery or the “saintly souls” (filled with spite and malice) who brought her to Christ for condemnation ? Just remind me, How did that work out for them ?
January 22, 2014 at 6:16 pm |
Well said. It’s about time Christians take a stand on this and other moral issues.
January 22, 2014 at 6:26 pm |
Everything you said was true. I think Obama has lost his moral imperative to lead America and should be impeached. The day he refused to support Defense of Marriage Act, they should have brought charges. Now, over and over again he continues to pick and choose the laws he will support. No mention is made of marijuana as a gateway drug. Not only is it worse than smoking for your health it is a temporary high that 20% of those who try it will try other more addicting drugs.
January 22, 2014 at 6:51 pm |
Amen! you are absolutely correct!
January 22, 2014 at 6:33 pm |
Those quotes are taken from a few paragraph conversation in the middle of a many page article, a vast majority of which is not even about this subject. When read in context, the President is not condoning the use of marijuana. He is not admitting to using it in his younger days; he is restating a fact that is already known. He is owning up to something that is already done and that people already know about. If he had not stated this people would have attacked him for trying to hide something about himself. Being honest about past behavior is something that we should be promoting not criticizing. He also says that it was bad habit and a vice which by definition is an immoral or wicked behavior. He is not showing it in a positive light or easily dismissing it.
Saying that a political leader should not dismiss something as a vice until it is legal not only ignores the definition of a vice but goes against how the political system in our country works. Political leaders should not stand by laws simply because they are laws, but instead are put into positions to voice their opinions and bring about change in our society. Theoretically those voices should be the opinions of those the leaders represent and if they are not we should be working towards getting new leaders rather than wanting them to sit quiet by laws they disagree with. Would you feel the same way about standing by a law until it was gone in all 50 states if it was a law you disagreed with?
Society in general does not condemn smoking and society in general does not support the use of marijuana. 19% of American adults smoke while some surveys say close to 7% of American adults smoke marijuana. While many people would say that neither are beneficial, saying that society in general is against smoking is ignoring 43.8 million people and many others who do not smoke, but are not against it. Our nations morals are on decline, but it is not because of people’s opinions of smoking tobacco vs marijuana, but because of the lack of Jesus. The younger generation does not need to be told everything they are doing wrong, but need to be told of the love of Christ that wipes away their sins. It is only through Christ that there will be a redeeming of the morality of our country.
Saying that marijuana is not worse than alcohol is not something that is up for debate. It is not something that disregards the negatives of either substance. Jim Richards tweet is an accurate statement, and does not say anything differently than what the original comparison says. Both can have negative side effects to a person physically, mentally, and emotionally. In fact, medically, marijuana is far safer than alcohol. Alcohol is more addictive, can cause cancer, brain damage, and can cause death from overdose, while marijuana has not been linked to any of these things and there has never been a fatal overdose on marijuana.
In the article in question, what Obama does say is that he thinks there is no benefit in smoking marijuana. He sees it as a negative thing, but a law whose consequences are only given to a small percentage of those who break it needs to be examined. He believes that the punishment is not being enforced equally in all demographics and that because of that it needs to be looked at. He presents multiple sides of the argument and then the article moves on to other topics.
Your closing statement was, “The best solution is to keep marijuana illegal”. What is the problem that this is referring to? and what makes it the best solution?
I appreciate that you are sharing your convictions and agree 100% that we as Christians should be striving to bring the country’s morality in line with Christ.
January 22, 2014 at 6:35 pm |
It’s sad that our president doesn’t know using one drug ultimately leads to another. I’ve seen it over and over, and most people who use one drug graduate to something stronger. And, yes, alcohol is a drug as well. All the more reason not to use it.
January 22, 2014 at 7:12 pm |
Amen! You are so correct!
January 22, 2014 at 7:41 pm |
It seems to me that, “Sad Comments” is a very appropriate title for both the blog and the responses.
January 22, 2014 at 7:47 pm |
Instead of saying marijuana is no worse than alcohol he could have said, “Since alcohol is as bad as marijuana we need to consider making both illegal. But carried too far this would ruffle the Christian community as well as the world and created a larger chance of impeachment than tampering with the U. S. Constitution.
January 22, 2014 at 8:21 pm |
We get so many “mixed messages from our leaders that I am not really surprised. It is sad that we have leaders that see no harm in using an illegal drug.
January 22, 2014 at 8:40 pm |
I am total agreement with your post. Our president needs to keep his thoughts and attention on matters our deficit and keeping our enemies off our shores not on marijuana. Psalm 109:8
January 23, 2014 at 3:04 am |
Do I have it all ?
1. Favors killing unborn babies
2. Favors same sex marriage
3. Sees an illegal drug as no worse than alcohol
4. Favors same sex marriage
5. Favors forcing religious instructions to adopt policies which conflict with doctrine
6. Sees sexual behavior between men and sexual activity between women as normal behavior
7. If the issue should arise, wonder how he would vote as to the comparison of alcohol, drug, and prostitution among consenting adults — If a woman had the exclusive right to her body (freedom of choice), should she have the right to legally sell her body to feed her children? Or to give massages? Or ____________?
8. Exactly what sin was found in Sodom that is not accepted or condoned by our leaders?
9. Isn’t it true that as a nation we have a form of godliness and that is it?
10. Come quickly Lord Jesus!
January 23, 2014 at 3:26 pm |
AMEN–The world has become a Sodom and Gomorrah and he will deal with it in the same manner as in Lot’s day..+ + +
March 24, 2014 at 3:12 pm |
The world is coming to an end, illegal thing, act and behaviours now legalised. May the Spirit of our Lord Jesus visit Our homes and the world at large. AMEN