Yes, but wheat isn't a gateway drug.
There are plenty of studies of the dangers of getting stoned and just because someone "felt" that they were closer to God while doing it, doesn't excuse it. I imagine many people have said the same thing when they get "happy drunk."
There are also studies that shows it is perfectly harmless. I don't care what the issue is, there is likely going to be studies on both sides of the fence.
Btw, you want to quote any of these studies? I will do the same.
You know, some Christians criticize Pentecostals for their emotional, chaotic worship, because it distorts them from focusing on God in an honest way, is a bad witness to unbelievers coming into the church, and is really not healthy. But Pentecostals say they "feel" closer to God. Opponents say "Yeah, but God being with you is not about feeling His presence all the time."
Would you tell these Christians NOT to worship this way because they are not "clear-minded" at the time?
Pharisees condemned Jesus for healing the sick and letting his disciples not starve. They clearly had legalist attitudes, because they hated Jesus and wanted to condemn him. I can hardly equate getting stoned out of your mind with healings and feeding those who are hungry. They simply are not in the same league.
And banning something from someone with no clear Scripture that says "This is wrong" is NOT legalistic?
Getting stoned by marijuanna would be more akin to the disciples getting drunk on the sabbath rather than just picking wheat. I don't think Christ would have approved drunkenness since the Bible condemns it and getting high produces similar results.
Well, I have sat with a man who smoked weed. He offered it to me. When he walked, he didn't stumble. His words were not slurred. "Groovy" wasn't something he said every time I said something good. Like I said before, weed affects different people in different ways.
Scripture also tells us to flee any appearance of evil.
Yeah, when my friend was smoking pot, he was awfully menacing all right. I'm lucky I got out of there without getting raped!
Besides, even if state law allows it, It is still against Federal law and thus against the U.S. government.
Which is way I support people refraining from it, if they can. Not because it's bad, but for the sake of their jobs, and such.
By the way, you're using law as a justification. If it were against the law to read the Bible or to have one, would you just throw up your hands and say "Well, it's against law, so I shouldn't do it."
There is a distinction here, but the principle is the same: If something is against the law, doesn't make it wrong. The government is not God, sorry.
But like I said before, I take exception to people who are given it to combat pain.
See, there's that grey area again. It's ok if a MAN who thinks you need it prescribes it (which, I personally don't know, but maybe it takes as much as it does to get "stoned out of your mind" to feel pain relief? Would getting high be ok then?) but it's not ok to purchase at a store? Which some mind-altering meds are over the counter - like cough syrup. Should I need a prescription to have that too? What about coffee?
Magic words, those are.