Oppose the Legalization of Recreational Marijuana

Tell Your Legislators to Stop The Reckless Rush to Legalize Recreational Marijuana

The marijuana industry's empty promises are leaving a trail of regret across the nation. Unfortunately, many Minnesota legislators are wrongly using social and racial justice as a rationale for unleashing a commercial marijuana business in our state that will profit no one except investors and Big Tobacco. Hold your State Senator and Representative accountable to the common good. Urge them to oppose the rush to legalize marijuana in Minnesota and vote no on H.F. 100/S.F. 73.

The Minnesota Legislature is fast-tracking a bill that would not just legalize so-called “recreational” cannabis (marijuana) in our state, but go even further to, among other things:

1) use public resources to subsidize the creation of a legal marijuana industry in Minnesota,

2) allow marijuana to be grown on an industrial scale in Minnesota,

3) allow retail outlets, including your local grocery store, to sell all forms of intoxicating marijuana products, including high-potency THC concentrates.

The marijuana industry creates new markets for itself by convincing legislators that they must legalize the drug to eliminate the black market, remedy historic racial injustice, and stop the abuse of other drugs. These promises regularly fail to materialize. In fact, the only thing that legalization has consistently done is reduce individuals and communities to profit centers for an industry that feeds on addiction.

Drugs Harm the Person and the Common Good

The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that “the use of drugs inflicts very grave damage on human health and life. Their use, except on strictly therapeutic grounds, is a grave offense.” (CCC, 2291).

Pope Francis has spoken out against the legalization of marijuana and other drugs. In 2014, the Holy Father stated very clearly that the problem of drug use is not solved with drugs. Drug addiction is an evil, and with evil there can be no yielding or compromise. Attempts, however limited, to legalize so-called recreational drugs, are not only highly questionable from a legislative standpoint, but they fail to produce the desired effects.”

Marijuana legalization will impact the quality of life for everyone in Minnesota, regardless whether you choose to partake in the drug.

We do not need another industry like Big Tobacco that profits off those who bear the heavy cross of addiction, while callously disregarding the impact its products have on innocent children. The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that calls to poison control centers increased 1375 percent (this is not a typo!) from 2017 to 2021 due to children under age six eating marijuana edibles. The average age was three years old!   

As faithful citizens, we must do our part to ensure that a public policy change of this magnitude gets the scrutiny that it deserves. In states that have legalized marijuana for recreational use, reported impacts have included increased traffic accidents and fatalities, public health impacts on children and adults, an expansion of the illegal marketplace, compromised safety in the workplace, and challenges in recruiting and retaining workers. Contact your legislators and remind them of their responsibility to protect the common good.

Urge your legislators to oppose H.F. 100 and S.F. 73, legislation which would undermine the common good by empowering “Big Tobacco 2.0” and giving it license to prey on our state.

Act Now:

Make sure that your elected officials know that you do not want high-potency drugs to be normalized in Minnesota. 

If you have...

Two Minutes: Send a message to your state legislators that reminds them of their responsibility to legislate for the common good rather than political expediency or commercial interests.

After sending your elected officials a quick email, take another minute to call their office or send a video message. A suggested script and talking points will show up on your device. Legislators do not often get calls from their constituents, so a follow-up call or video will greatly increase your impact.  

Nine Minutes: Watch this riveting Fox 9 News feature about that Heather and Randy Bacchus, Catholic parents who are on a mission to save lives by sharing their son’s experience as a cautionary story on the risks of high-potency cannabis on adolescents struggling with their mental health.

More Time: Visit our curated issue page where you can learn the truth about marijuana legalization. Minnesota wouldn’t be the first state to open its doors to the commercial marijuana industry. Much of the support for legalization is based on a lack of information or blatant misinformation, despite the ample evidence of harm that continues to be published. Take some time to question the proponents’ justifications and learn the lessons from other states that have legalized recreational marijuana. Get informed, so you can share the truth that will protect our children and vulnerable populations from this scourge.