When devout Christian Darryl Decker from Texas heard the old saying “God made weed. Man-made Whiskey. Who do you trust?” he was left with more questions than answers…
With that, Darryl and his wife Lydia created Genesis 1:29, which aims to proliferate positive information about cannabis, and the biblical justification for using it. They want to being about easier access to the plant for people in need, and the verse they based the organization’s name on reads, “And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you, it shall be for meat.”
For the Deckers, it’s clear what that verse means, and there’s nothing cryptic about it, for them. They believe, in their own words that, “Human suffering and healing are all told about in the bible. If more people realized that and went back to the Bible, it’d be a lot better.”
When, back in 2014, Lydia was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, she was rushed to hospital in need of oxygen. Since them, Lydia needed to carry around a heavy tank just to breathe, until she found CBD. Lydia said, “Most of our friends and family our pastor and his wife are completely on board with it. They saw me on the oxygen, and then they saw me when I didn’t need it anymore. That’s all they needed.”
Naturally, the Deckers were thrilled that a holistic medication with no side effects was able to treat Lydia, but not everyone in their strict Bible-Belt community felt the same way. Many complained that the Deckers were promoting the use of drugs which could find their way into the hands of children.
However, the Deckers aren’t having any of it, as they told reporters, “I’ve had so many people attack me on Facebook. They tell me you’re trying to use the bible as a platform to promote your drugs. I have scientific proof this is working. Are you trying to tell me I’m using the bible wrong?”
While the Deckers are no priests or vicars, they are familiar with the Bible and believe they have an equal right to interpret it, according to their own understanding. As Lydia concluded,
“God made his medicine perfect; it’s man that has chosen to make it illegal.”
