Medicinal Cannabis?!

Today I had a conversation with X. He has been ill for a long time and will never be able to recover from the illness he has. X is a Christian (check, check, double check) and had a question:

I have taken a lot of medication for the pain in my past, I always have pain, 24/7. Nothing really worked and / or it had huge side effects. Now I use medicinal cannabis every day and it works. But is God okay with that?

Yeah, those are THE questions! These are also the questions where we have to take off our “cultural hat”. Especially if your work is multicultural.

The “I think hat” must also be thrown in the trashcan, and the only answer can be a Biblical answer. We must also pay close attention to the context of the question (medical cannabis, and the question is NOT about recreational use). In other words, what does the Bible say about medication that comes from nature?

Get this… this is what THE Paul says from the Bible. Paul, who could also heal the sick, says this to his friend Timothy who is so often ill and has stomach problems:

Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.

1 Timothy 5:23

Hey! wait a minute…Paul..recommends wine? And that while alcohol can be a “tough subject” among Christians… say what?!! uhhhh… ok… But as always, great that you found one verse that talks about natural medicines, but let the bible confirm itself. On to verse 2:

Isaiah had said, “Prepare a poultice of figs and apply it to the boil, and he will recover.”

Isaiah 38:21

And that answered the question.

But… (that question was not asked by X by the way) what if I use it for “recreational use”?

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,

Ephesians 5:18

Clear, right? Cultures change, customs change, God’s word never(!) changes. Full stop. Not even with exciting topics. It’s not what I think is right, it’s what God says is right.