Cannabis referendum: is there a right answer?
Should we legalise the production, supply and consumption of cannabis? That’s what the Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill sets out to do, and on October 17th, the nation will vote to decide if we support that bill. We might head for Scripture to find the ‘right’ answer, and thus determine how we should vote, but the question of which option is scripturally right is not the best way to frame our thinking, according to Rev. Dr Joe McGarry, our Anglican Studies Co-ordinator.
Joe suggests that we should begin our conversations not with the question of “what does Scripture say?” but with “I believe Jesus of Nazareth rose from the dead, is present by the Spirit drawing us into faithfulness to the will of the Father, and the will of the Father is that all creatures would know that God has redeemed our estrangement through Jesus and is here, present, for you now.” Or put more simply, “God does stuff, that stuff matters, so we do stuff. When we do stuff, everybody else sees that stuff. And then they can believe stuff about the God that does stuff.”
The stuff Joe speaks of in this case, at least, is the exercising of our vote. If we are to bear witness to Christ, obeying his commandment to love our neighbours as ourselves, we must ask how this either new legislation, or the status quo, will impact those neighbours – particularly those who are vulnerable.
“Will this legislation run ragged over certain sectors of society, who are begging for this legislation not to be passed because of the impact it will have on their people?” Joe says, or will the status quo continue the “structural evils…the social, structural and racial issues that are imprisoning our brothers and sisters?”
Our St Peter’s on Willis whānau are hoping to help us address these issues in their next Ngā Kōrero forum, focussing on the Cannabis Referendum, on the 22nd of September 2020. Rev. Charles Waldegrave, Co-Vicar at St Peter’s, tells us that it was difficult to stage a traditional for-and-against debate on the issue, because there are so many implications on both sides that need exploring. “In the end, we decided to invite three speakers who are knowledgeable on the topic to present their views.”
The line-up of speakers is indeed an impressive one. The Rt Hon. Helen Clark, former Prime Minister, will begin the forum, and is vocal in her support for decriminalisation. Also addressing the forum will be Rev. Dr Hirini Kaa of the University of Auckland, who is concerned about the impact of decriminalisation on the Māori population. Joining them is one of Wellington City’s youngest Councillors, Tamatha Paul.
The forum looks set to equip us to think through the issues in ways that bear witness to the reality of the risen Christ so that others may see. We all hope that we can, in Joe’s words, “live as if God has done something. And let this thing that God has done be the thing that all of your life revolves around.”
By Duncan Brown
Ngā Kōrero: The Cannabis Referendum will be held on the 22nd of September from 5-7pm at St Peter’s on Willis Street, Te Aro, Wellington. The event is now sold out, but will be livestreamed on the St Peter’s Facebook page here (https://www.facebook.com/StPetersOnWillisWellington)
You can watch Rev. Dr Joe McGarry guest-preaching on “Thinking Theologically About the Cannabis Referendum” at Wellington Central Baptist Church here (https://wellingtoncentral.sermon.net/main/main/21653572)
Our diocese has made available a selection of resources about both referenda to our vicars and priests in charge, so that they may have informed pastoral conversations with their people. Speak to your local church leader if you would like to know more.
