Legalized Pot: A Prophetic Symbol of America’s Decline

Lawmakers have heard the cry of Reggae sensation Peter Tosh to “Legalize it.” Whether you call it marijuana, weed, dank or some other slang term, America is seemingly going to pot.

Pot will soon be legal for recreational use under state laws in both Colorado and Washington. Now, officials in both states are trying to figure out how to keep stoned drivers off the road, reports The Associated Press:

“Drugged driving is illegal, and nothing in the measures that Washington and Colorado voters passed this month to tax and regulate the sale of pot for recreational use by adults over 21 changes that. But law enforcement officials wonder about whether the ability to buy or possess marijuana legally will bring about an increase of marijuana users on the roads.

“Statistics gathered for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed that in 2009, a third of fatally injured drivers with known drug test results were positive for drugs other than alcohol. Among randomly stopped weekend nighttime drivers in 2007, more than 16 percent were positive for drugs.

“Marijuana can cause dizziness and slowed reaction time, and drivers are more likely to drift and swerve while they’re high.”

Much has been said about the dumbing down of America. Ed Gogek, an addiction psychiatrist and board member of Keep AZ Drug Free, points to research that shows teenagers who smoke pot regularly do worse in school, are twice as likely to drop out and earn less as adults.

“Teenage use has been shown to permanently lower I.Q.,” Gogek says. “No other drug, not even alcohol, affects academic performance like marijuana. How can we make education a focus, and then support laws that will blunt the next generation’s ability to compete?”

The Bible says we shouldn’t get drunk on wine (Eph. 5:18). Although marijuana isn’t wine, the same principle applies. And if smoking marijuana is a stepping-stone drug to harder drugs—and it is—then legalizing pot is a stepping-stone to more sin in America, whether that’s legalized heroine, legalized prostitution, or something far more nefarious.

You can’t legislate morality, but we’ve seen over and over again that you can legislate immorality. And legalizing weed just so adults can get high is one more sign that that America is indeed going to pot. Keep praying for revival. When true revival comes, pot puffers will lay aside their peace pipes and run to the Prince of Peace.