Texas Politics does not cease to amaze me. There is a short, little article about a bill that will legalize marijuana in Texas on the Dallas Morning News' website. We all know that other states have already taken the liberty of legalizing marijuana whether for medicinal use or overall, but the reason that State Rep. David Simpson gave for legalizing it was just appalling. "Marijuana comes from God and therefore shouldn't be banned by government" is Simpson's argument for this bill. Lets just take a step back for a second and try and grasp this.
Now, I am a believer in God without a doubt, but this is the Texas State Government we are talking about. Where does the separation of state and church come into play with this? If saying that marijuana comes from God is a valid statement in the house, then can I commit a crime and say I come from God as well and be let off free of charge? There is no way that this can possibly be an argument that a state legislature will humor. There are scientific studies that give evidence that marijuana can be used as a therapy. There are studies that say alcohol is worse than marijuana. Unless we look directly at the research, we won't be able to tell whether these accusations are true, but they have a more suitable sound than bringing religion into the government. David Simpson could have gone to a laboratory where they study the effects of THC in the body and made his argument based off of his findings there. I would have never thought that bringing God into the government would allow something like this to pass a committee in such a conservative state like Texas.
I strongly agree with my colleague and his critique to legislator David Simpson in his argument for the legalization of marijuana. I don’t think a legislator should use his religious affair to defend a law or his argument for the prohibition of marijuana. His argument makes him seem bad because does he really think this could make people change their mind and legalizing marijuana. It concerns me that a legislator is thinking that way, and it scares me that a bill was passed using that kind of arguments. It’s like saying since abortion is prohibited by my religion then they should prohibit it as well, that’s not how it works. I believe there are better arguments like Adrian said, for example seeking studies that demonstrate the positive outcomes or benefits that legalizing marijuana can do to our state, not just mentioning that marijuana comes from God and should not be prohibited.
ReplyDeleteI have mixed feelings about the legalization of marijuana. I too saw this article when it came out and when he stated that he believes God blah blah blah... Not to include my religious beliefs or anything, but this argument could be used in almost every case, for example abortions. It's always a toss up in the house between state and religion. What will happen in the long run?
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to see the reaction my colleague, David, had to when he read David Simpson's comment. I feel that this generation's "legalize marijuana" group is rapidly growing and although Adrian never mentioned if he supports it being legalized or not it seems as though he read and interpreted this comment without any bias. I am in complete agreement. Just about anything could fall under the "God created it" comment (depending on what you believe in) and for this to be admissible and validated as an argument is preposterous.
ReplyDeleteLike Adrian said, separation of church and state needs to remain relevant and practiced regardless of the subject matter being discussed.
I completely agree with my colleague, Adrian Munoz, on the subject of David Simpson and legalizing marijuana. Now, I am a strong believer of Christ and I am not "all for" the legalization. However, like my colleague stated, where is the separation of church and state? Just saying "God created it" isn't a "valid" explanation. Like another colleague of mine said, "Just about anything can fall under that comment." Yes, God did create everything on earth, but He also gave us brains to discern how to use the things He created. To win Texas citizens over with the legalization, Simpson should have disclosed scientific/medical information and proved how this substance can help individuals. I completely agree with Adrian. Where is separation of church and state? Really, David Simpson?
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