Did you know that there is a connection between the use of drugs and the practice of spiritism, which God condemns? Now, the Greek worda used in the Bible for ‘practice of spiritism’ or ‘witchcraft’ literally means ‘druggery.’ The use of drugs in spiritistic practices was often coupled with appeals to occult powers. Would you get our copy of The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures, Bob?”

Son: “Here it is.”

Father: “Would you turn to Revelation 22:15? Notice that it says that those who are outside God’s favor are those who ‘practice spiritism.’ Now look at the left-hand column where the Greek text appears, along with the word-for-word English translation. Here the Greek word for ‘practice spiritism’ is literally translated ‘druggers.’ So these persons are linked with spiritists and others who lose out on gaining life everlasting because of their bad practices.”

Mother: “The use of drugs and coming under the influence of the demons, then, are closely linked together.”

Father: “Yes, and what have you children observed? Do you find among drug users more than the usual interest in occult things?”

Son: “Yes, they even have books on magic and ESP. Some have Ouija boards and many are interested in astrology.”

Daughter: “But, Dad, if one avoids magical practices, how does the use of drugs lead to demonism?”

Father: “Well, Lucy, not all who use drugs for pleasure are actually demon-possessed. The point to remember is that by trying drugs just once, the mind can be affected, and it may be hard to resist the further use of them. Then, as you continue to make such use of drugs, all sound reasoning can give way to a diseased mental state. This may open the way to demon influence. Here is how the apostle Paul expressed the condition of those who did not hold closely to obedience to God. Read it, Bob, at Romans 1:28.”

Son: “All right. ‘And just as they did not approve of holding God in accurate knowledge, God gave them up to a disapproved mental state, to do the things not fitting.’”

Terrible things happen to the minds of those who take, for example, LSD. Just a speck of LSD can take a person on a ‘trip’ that may last eight to sixteen hours.”

Son: “That long?”

Father: “Yes, and after the first ‘trip,’ weird illusions and horrible visions can occur again, even for days or months afterwards.”

Son: “Wow, that’s something!”

Father: “It surely is. But here’s what a Toronto newspaper had to say about a young musician in Canada. Lucy, will you read this quote for us, please?”

Daughter: “All right. It says: ‘A young musician in Canada was found in bad condition by the police. He told them he had decided to try LSD because he no longer got “kicks” from marijuana. The result was a “bad trip” during which he shoved his fingers deep into his eye sockets because “he didn’t want to see what he was seeing.” He severely damaged both eyes, and doctors feared he would lose the sight of one of them.’ Oh, that’s terrible, Dad!”

Father: “Yes, it is. But it’s no worse than the boy who, on LSD, bored a hole in his head with an electric drill to ‘help him break out of ordinary time and enter another dimension,’ or the several who jumped to their death out of windows thinking they were ‘flying away.’”

On the contrary, even though not all who smoke marijuana are led to take up harder drugs, such as heroin, the fact remains that it is well recognized that most persons who use heroin started off with ‘lesser drugs,’ such as marijuana, first. Surveys of heroin addicts reveal that 85 percent of them had previously used marijuana.

Son: “Then the big danger is that kids who smoke marijuana will go on to worse drugs?”

Father: “That’s only one of the main dangers. You see, even if a smoker of marijuana does not go on to harder drugs, how can he be sure that it will not harm him? Now, one thing that few marijuana users realize is that the active chemicalb in this drug is not eliminated by the body but it accumulates or builds up in the body. It clings to the fatty tissues of the body, especially to the tissues in the brain. As it builds up in the body and brain, it is certain to affect the health of the person involved, including his mental health.”

Son: “I sure didn’t know that about marijuana, Dad​—that you don’t get rid of its poison!”

Father: “Another thing​—a marijuana user can get in trouble long before that poisonous chemical builds up in his body. You see, each person is different and no person can predict how marijuana will affect him. In fact, doctors say that ‘the very unpredictability of marijuana on different individuals and on the same individual at different times and under different conditions’ increases the danger to the user. But now, let’s read from this book entitled ‘Drug Abuse,’ in its chapter on marijuana. Bob, will you read these sentences that I have underlined?”

Son: “Sure. It says: ‘A marihuana trip basically lasts approximately three hours. There is a loss of time and depth perception. A crack in the sidewalk or curb may appear to be a deep canyon or cliff. The reverse is also true; persons under the influence of marihuana have been known to step out of second-story windows or off the roofs of buildings. . . . speed of 120 miles per hour may appear to be 20 miles per hour . . . Crimes of violence, such as robbery, burglary, assault, rape, and homicide are common to persons under the influence and it is usually in this condition that the user tries his first injection of heroin or ingestion of LSD. . . . It is because the effect of marihuana is so unpredictable that enforcement officers consider a person under its influence to be extremely dangerous.’”

Father: “Does that sound like a habit with which a Christian would want to become identified?”

Son: “It sure doesn’t!”

Father: “To show how unpredictable the effect of marijuana is, this book relates the case of a sixteen-year-old student who bought some marijuana in the rest room at school. Notice what happened. Will you read this, Bob?”

Son: “Here it says, ‘The 16 year old left school and went to a park where he smoked three joints (cigarettes) of marihuana. He then went home and beat his mother.’”

Father: “Those who use marijuana, then, may resort to violence even against loved ones or themselves. Some marijuana users attempt suicide.