Consider these 6 Questions:

1. Is marijuana a “gateway” drug?  Does it seductively lead its users into harder drugs like meth, cocaine, and heroin?

Chemical dependency has been hotly debated among the experts, however:

Long-time substance abuse expert Mike Gimbel said he agrees that marijuana use does not lead to a chemical dependence for that or other drugs, but can open a “social gateway” which in turn leads to more illicit drug use.

“Yes there is no proof that anyone who uses marijuana moves on to other drugs because they build a tolerance to it like alcohol or cigarettes in which they need either more of a product or something stronger to get their fix,” Gimbel said.

“But, 80 percent of addiction is due to environment. So, especially for children, if they are exposed to an environment where people are drinking or smoking pot, they are much more likely to enter a world where they can find drugs like heroin or cocaine. So, I consider marijuana a social gateway drug.”

http://www.abc2news.com/news/health/experts-debate-whether-marijuana-is-a-gateway-drug

Proverbs 13:20 He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will suffer harm.

2. Does marijuana impair brain development in teenagers, leaving permanent diminished IQ effects?

It’s common sense that being a heavy cannabis user might make someone more spaced-out and less likely to perform well on memory tasks. Excessive chronic use of any type of drug is going to have detrimental mental and physical side effects.  

In a study published in December 2013, researchers at Northwestern Medicine discovered that the developing teenage brain may be particularly vulnerable to excessive marijuana use. The researchers found that teens who smoked marijuana daily for about three years had abnormal changes in their brain structures related to working memory and performed poorly on memory tasks. . . .

 In an alarming twist, the study found abnormalities in brain structure and also identified memory problems two years after the heavy marijuana users had stopped smoking pot as teenagers. The researchers found that memory-related structures in their brains appeared to shrink and collapse inward, reflecting a possible decrease in neuron volume. These findings indicate that there could be long-term detriments of chronic marijuana use as a teenage.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201312/heavy-marijuana-use-alters-teenage-brain-structure

Matthew 25:25-26  I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground.  See, you have what is yours.’  But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave. . .

3. Does marijuana result in a reduced level of personal ambition and drive, in those who habitually imbibe in it?

A Huffington Post article entitled Longtime Marijuana Use Linked With Decreased Motivation, Study Finds, reads:

“The stereotype of pot smokers as lackadaisical loafers is supported by new research: People who smoke marijuana regularly over long periods of time tend to produce less of a chemical in the brain that is linked to motivation, a new study finds.

Researchers in the United Kingdom scanned the brains of 19 regular marijuana users, and 19 nonusers of the same sex and age, using positron emission tomography (PET), which helps measure the distribution of chemicals throughout the brain.

They found that the long-term cannabis users tended to produce less dopamine, a “feel good” chemical in the brain that plays an important role in motivation and reward-driven behavior. ‘

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/02/marijuana-motivation-longtime-use-pot_n_3534031.html

Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.

4. Does marijuana use cause a loss of self control?

Most people use marijuana because the high makes them feel happy, relaxed, or detached from reality.  Smoking pot can also have less-pleasant effects on your mind and mood, too. You might have:

• A distorted sense of time
• Random thinking
• Paranoia
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Short-term forgetfulness.
• Slowed reaction time (If you drive after using marijuana, your risk of being in a car accident more than doubles.)

These effects usually ease up a few hours after you’ve used the drug.

http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/marijuana-use-and-its-effects

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;

5. Does marijuana inhaling increase the risk of cancer?

“Putting smoke in your lungs is not good for the lungs,” says Roland Lamarine, HSD, professor of public health at California State University, Chico. He reviewed published studies on the health effects of marijuana earlier this year for the Journal of Drug Education.

Smoking marijuana produces a nearly threefold increase of inhaled tar compared with tobacco, according to some studies. Other research suggests that marijuana smokers, compared to cigarette smokers, inhale more deeply and hold their breath longer.

“There are still questions that aren’t answered about lung damage,” Lamarine says.

http://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/news/20121207/recreational-marijuana-health-effects

Exodus 20:13 You shall not murder.

6. Is marijuana use legal in your city or state?

Romans 13:1 Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.