When I read Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano describing the bloody Duterte drug war as a “pro-life” initiative, the first thing that came to mind was “what food or drink did Cayetano eat or drink that made him think that way?”

Or who poisoned or confused his mind so deeply that he thinks God hates drugs and, by his logic, that those who kill drug personalities are doing God’s will?

No biblical passage explicitly says “God hates drugs” in the modern sense of narcotics, illegal substances, or contemporary drug addiction.

The Bible was written in ancient historical contexts where modern drugs—such as methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, fentanyl, or synthetic narcotics—did not exist in the way we understand them today. So, there is no verse directly mentioning “drugs” as a modern social and criminal problem. What the Bible does condemn are behaviors associated with:
• intoxication,
• drunkenness,
• sorcery involving potions,
• loss of self-control,
• enslavement to destructive appetites,
• and practices that harm the body or community.

Here are the passages most cited by Christians when discussing substance abuse or addiction:

1. Against Drunkenness and Intoxication. Ephesians 5:18 says: “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery.” In Proverbs 20:1, we find this passage: “Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.” These passages condemn intoxication and loss of moral self-control, not necessarily all use of substances.

2. The Body as Sacred. “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit?” — 1 Corinthians 6:19. Many Christian traditions interpret this as discouraging destructive substance abuse because it harms the body.

3. Sobriety and Self-Control. “Be sober-minded; be watchful.” — 1 Peter 5:8 and “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and self-control.” — 2 Timothy 1:7. These verses are often used to support moral teachings about avoiding addiction or dependency.
4. “Pharmakeia” and Sorcery. One important Greek word sometimes discussed is “pharmakeia” (φαρμακεία), translated in some Bibles as “sorcery” or “witchcraft.” Some passages include Galatians 5:19-20, which states, “The acts of the flesh are obvious… idolatry and witchcraft…” The word pharmakeia is the root of the English word “pharmacy.” In the ancient world, it referred to potions, poisons, magical concoctions, and occult practices—not modern drug addiction in the legal-criminal sense. Some modern preachers stretch this verse to claim the Bible condemns all drugs directly, but most serious biblical scholars caution against that interpretation. Historically, pharmakeia referred more to magical or occult poisoning practices than to narcotics.

Important Clarification
Saying “God hates drugs” is therefore more of a modern moral slogan than a direct biblical quotation. A more accurate theological statement would be: The Bible condemns behaviors that destroy human dignity, self-control, and community life. Many Christians, therefore, conclude that destructive addiction or harmful substance abuse contradicts biblical ethics.

But that is different from claiming Scripture explicitly says: “God hates drugs.”
It does not.

The Bible does not equate addiction with a loss of human worth. One major theological issue is that even when the Bible condemns sinful or destructive behavior, it does not thereby authorize killing people who struggle with such behavior.

Christian theology traditionally distinguishes condemning sin from annihilating sinners. That distinction matters enormously in debates about violence, punishment, and public morality.
Jesus was frequently associated with outcasts, addicts, prostitutes, tax collectors, and socially condemned individuals.

His approach was restorative rather than exterminative.

This is why many theologians argue that invoking Christianity to justify extrajudicial killing fundamentally distorts the moral center of the Gospel.

The Obvious Effects of Cayetano’s Remarks: Alan Peter’s god

Instead of getting angry, people should pity Cayetano for harboring such thoughts. Pity because no one who worships the One True God would say such a thing.

Some of the faithful would argue that Cayetano may be serving a god that is clearly dissimilar to the True God in the bible.

The True God in the bible is a God who hates the sin, not the sinner. The God in the bible considers all fleshy things as abominable, and that includes indulging in perversities and wickedness.

The only incident in the Bible that clearly justifies the killing of perverse people is when people commit an abomination before the Holy Spirit. Such a sin merits a second death, but the Bible does not say that the faithful are expected to kill those who trespass against the Holy Spirit.

God alone holds the authority to decide whether to take a person’s life for these actions. The passage makes it clear that no human has the right to kill the abominable. It is unmistakably God’s prerogative.

References:
Hauerwas, Stanley. 1983. The Peaceable Kingdom.
Wright, Christopher J.H. 2004. Old Testament Ethics for the People of God.
Keener, Craig S. 2014. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament.
Witherington III, Ben. 1998. Conflict and Community in Corinth.