Created for Something Higher than Getting High

Marijuana

Our friends at the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview have published an excellent commentary on the negative effects of Marijuana-use.

John Stonestreet writes how, amid the national conversation about legalizing so-called “medical” and “recreational” Marijuana, one significant fact is being overlooked: Marijuana’s negative side-effects.

Stonestreet notes that, among other things:

  • 1 in 11 young adults who begins smoking Marijuana will become addicted;
  • Marijuana-use impairs working memory even when users are not acutely high;
  • Marijuana negatively impacts brain receptors involved in memory recall, metabolism regulation, and similar functions;

This commentary comes as news agencies in Arkansas report a young man shot himself playing Russian roulette after smoking Marijuana.

Marijuana advocates like to claim Marijuana has never killed anyone, but this is misleading; we have documented time and again how many people have died as a result of driving while high; as a result of heart attack or stroke caused by heavy Marijuana-use; and so on.

Claiming Marijuana did not kill these people is a little like blaming lung cancer for a smoker’s death while ignoring tobacco. There’s simply no doubt anymore. Marijuana is a dangerous substance.

Stonestreet concludes his commentary on this dangerous drug by writing,

“So if you don’t care about eating, learning, remembering things, forming healthy relationships or having a happy life, by all means, light up!  And, I should add, in light of all of these concerns, it’s reckless for policymakers and the voting public to jump on the weed bandwagon simply in the name of more ‘freedom’ and tax dollars.

“Friends, we were created for something higher than getting high.”

You can read Stonestreet’s full column here or listen to it below.

[audio:http://www.breakpoint.org/images/content/breakpoint/audio/2015/102615_BP.mp3|titles=Marijuana Madness by John Stonestreet]

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Read Arkansas’ Political Party Platforms

Arkansas,

capitol3-1We write regularly about the importance of voter education. It is not enough for people simply to vote; people must vote wisely.

Candidates for President are already making plenty of headlines. In Arkansas, candidates will file for office in less than two weeks. As the 2016 election season approaches, we wanted to take a moment to talk about an often-overlooked resource: party platforms.

Arkansas currently has four registered political parties, according the Secretary of State’s website:

  • The Democratic Party of Arkansas
  • The Green Party of Arkansas
  • The Libertarian Party of Arkansas
  • The Republican Party of Arkansas

Each political party has a platform–a set of beliefs to which it holds. While not every candidate adheres 100% to his or her party’s platform, party platforms are an excellent way voters can understand a little more about the kinds of candidates who run for office.

Below is the preamble of each party’s platform and a link to the entire platform. I strongly encourage you to read each party’s platform; it may help you decide which party or candidate most closely aligns with your values. (more…)

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