Former U.S. Justice Department officials argue that Christians’ use of medical cannabis may be justified by the Bible if marijuana is federally rescheduled. They say in a recent paper that, “the federal governments will inevitably,” enact this reform.
He said that even if cannabis was rescheduled, it would still be “inconsistent with” biblical principles.
This paper, published in Indiana Health Law Review and titled “Christian Faith and Marijuana use after federal rescheduling,” analyzes how a proposed regulation to shift cannabis from Schedule I (CSA) to Schedule III would affect religious doctrines on drug usage.
According to the statement, after rescheduling in line with biblical principles people should be able use this drug therapeutically as they would other drugs for legitimate medical purposes.
This is not always the case. Reclassifying marijuana as Schedule III does not legalize it federally. While other Schedule III drugs such as Xanax can be prescribed by doctors, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would need to approve cannabis as a medicine in order for it to be prescribed—and most experts agree there’s a slim chance of that given the agency’s reluctance to approve botanical medications.
Melvin Otey, Faulkner University, wrote in a paper that “the general public does not know that marijuana possession is still a federal offense, even though many states have decriminalized the manufacture, distribution and use of it.” The Schedule I status of marijuana means that it is not legal to use recreationally or for medicinal purposes.
Otey wrote that there were “strong indications” the federal authorities would eventually reschedule this hallucinogen. Otey was a former trial lawyer in DOJ’s Organized Crime and Racketeering Section between 2000 and 2003 and the Organized Crime and Gang Section in 2007 and 2014.
The law abiding people who are not using the drug for recreational purposes will still be restricted from doing so, he said, because the substance will continue to fall under the Controlled Substances Act.
It says: “Moreover, recreational usage would be incompatible with many biblical principles.”
Former DOJ official: “If California’s prohibition laws on marijuana were once common, perhaps the deregulation of the state is an indicator for what was to come.”
According to him, “classical economic theories” suggest that after legalization there are “lower prices, easier access and factors which ultimately lead to increased consumption”.
Other research shows that despite the author’s study, religious people support marijuana legalization significantly less than those who are atheists or belong to other non-religious groups.
On the campaign trail, Donald Trump supported the reform in relation to rescheduling. He is now entering his second term. He said recently that the decision is near, but did not give a specific indication as to his position.
As Trump continues to weigh the rescheduling proposal, a Democratic congresswoman said this month there’s been more discussion among lawmakers about cannabis reform recently–adding that she’ll “continue to push for” other modest policy changes such as industry banking access.