When Shavo Odadjian, bassist of the band System of a Down, told Forbes Senior Contributor Javier Hasse he was starting a marijuana strain called “Church,” he could not help but find it entertaining.
Weed and religion don’t go together, Hasse thought
However, a Leafly article by Natán Ponieman suggested otherwise. “Moderation seems to be the key to the enjoyment of non-medical cannabis in the Christian tradition,” he wrote.
In an exclusive discussion, Ponieman explained that, when you look at it from a historical perspective, “there is nothing in the basis of Christianity against medicine. Jesus himself was (and still is for many, today) a healer.
“The default relationship one would normally trace between the big churches and prohibitionism has more to do with their historical role as political agents than it has to do with any directive derived from their core value system.”
A few months after Javier Hasse had a conversation with Shavo, Ponieman’s article came out, Javier had a sit down with Joy Smith, a grandmother who went from preaching the Lord’s word as a Christian minister to preaching the benefits of pure CBD as a hemp entrepreneur
It looks as if, every small bug progressive step is bringing cannabis and Christianity even closer together.
The Queen’s Cannabis
Even though these small advancements, nothing (not even a great cloud of white smoke coming out of the Vatican) could have prepared Javier for the surprise he woke up to just a short time ago: the Church of England, the mother of the international Anglican Communion, led by Queen Elizabeth II, will be switching its investment fund’s rules to allow for investments to be made in the field of medical marijuana, which is currently legal in the U.K. under certain rules and regulations – although real access remains rather limited.
The fund in question, the Church Commissioners for England fund, which handles and manages about £8.3 billion ($10.5 billion) in assets – although the Financial Times proclaimed assets to that of $16 billion, based on a financial report. As a closed fund, no new contributions are accepted; the fund currently destines all of its profits to financing the Church’s ongoing expenses.
Taken from the Financial Times, Edward Mason, head of responsible investment for the Church Commissioners fund, stated the organization makes a clear distinction between medical cannabis and adult-use cannabis, supporting only “proper medicinal purposes” at the time.
Adding to these comments, a spokesperson for the fund told ABC News they will “hold medicinal cannabis to the same standards” as other traditional pharmaceuticals, only investing in “properly licensed” companies with products “regulated for medicinal use.”
This does not mean that cannabis companies with small stakes in recreational developments will not be considered for investment. The threshold, however, was set at 10 percent of total revenue.
Logical Investing Now Includes Cannabis
It’s all about investing in ethical businesses, “The Church Commissioners Annual Report 2018” explains. In fact, its “focus to be a leader in ethical and responsible investment showed excellent results,” stated Andrew Brown, Secretary to the Church Commissioners.
“Our approach involves ethical exclusions; incorporation of environmental, social and governance issues; action on climate change risks and opportunities; engagement and voting; and impact monitoring and impact investments,” the report further elaborates.
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