By Particular to The Florida Star | The Georgia Star
Marijuana has lengthy been a goal of condemnation in Black church buildings. And for good motive: Pastors have seen how the racially biased enforcement of marijuana legal guidelines has impacted their communities and congregations.
However three Black pastors in Florida replicate a nationwide pattern in altering attitudes towards hashish, significantly its authorized use for medicinal functions. Dr. Erta C. Livingston Jr., Pastor Leo Stoney and Dr. Lonnie Davis Wesley III, all help medical marijuana as a physician-authorized remedy, saying its use is not any totally different than taking any prescribed drug.
Dr. Livingston is the Senior Pastor of the Church of God by Religion #1 in Gainesville and Director of Affected person Providers for UF Well being Jacksonville. Working in hospitals has modified his perspective in the case of utilizing medical marijuana to deal with folks in ache.
“I see ache every single day. I lay arms on them, I do all of the religious issues I must do, however generally the ache continues. So, in a compassionate manner, I wish to help no matter it takes to alleviate ache. If medical marijuana is prescribed by a physician, you could have my help. I’m not going to place you on the altar and ship you to hell.”
Added Pastor Stoney of The MaxOut Church in Melbourne: “That is positively a taboo subject as a result of we’re pastors, proper? I am going again to this. If there’s medication for most cancers, there’s medication for COVID now, and there’s medication for all the things else, why can’t there be a drugs prescribed by a physician that has been examined and confirmed to make somebody in ache really feel higher?”
Dr. Wesley of the Larger Little Rock Baptist Church in Pensacola mentioned congregants actually shouldn’t concern themselves with a church’s place on medical marijuana.
“It isn’t the church’s enterprise what medication your physician has prescribed to your medical care,” he careworn. “Do what it’s a must to do medically that can assist you have a greater high quality of life.”
The pastors all agreed that schooling about medical marijuana was key to their acceptance of the drug.
On the subject of leisure marijuana, all three voiced reservations on legalizing it no matter whether or not that’s accomplished by the state or federal authorities.
For extra info on qualifying situations that may be handled with medical marijuana beneath Florida legislation, log on to knowthefactsmmj.com.
Go to bit.ly/MMERI_Religion_Forum to observe MMERI’s Conversations on Hashish Digital Discussion board that includes Reverend Lonnie Wesley (Larger Little Rock Baptist Church), Pastor Leo Stoney (MaxOut Church), Elder Physician Erta Livingston (Church of God by Religion #1 in Gainesville) on YouTube. For extra info on medical marijuana, go to MMERI’s web site at mmeri.famu.edu
The put up Black Pastors Have Faith in Medical Marijuana Treatment first appeared on The Florida Star | The Georgia Star.
