Recreational Marijuana

"Attempts, however limited, to legalize so-called 'recreational drugs,' are not only highly questionable from a legislative standpoint, but they fail to produce desired effects."

- Pope Francis, June 20, 2014, at the International Drug Enforcement Conference in Rome

Catholic Perspective on Drugs and Addiction

The recreational marijuana industry promotes the throw-away culture by telling people the best response to suffering is to be high and to numb themselves to the world around them. 

By legalizing recreational marijuana, the state is approving a commercialized pot industry similar to big tobacco. The reality is that this bill manipulates people’s suffering and reduces them to political pawns who are used for the profits of an industry that feeds on addiction. We instead can find real solutions that uphold true human dignity and minister to the problems afflicting those whom flawed systems have left behind, by focusing our efforts on holistic, prudent, and sustainable ways to improve their situations.

 

Bishop Cozzens speaks about the attempts to legalize recreational marijuana during the 2021 Catholics at the Capitol. The bill number he references, H.F. 600, was the bill's number in 2021. The principles around this issue have not changed. The bill's for the 2023-2024 session are H.F. 100 / S.F. 73.

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Four-Part Reporting Series on Marijuana and Church Teaching - The Catholic Spirit

“The devastation of drugs can be seen without much effort anywhere you turn in our country. Overdoses, addiction, homelessness, destroyed lives — all of these things have only become worse in the push over the last decade to legalize drugs, especially but not exclusively marijuana.” - Consuming true medicine: Why Catholics should oppose legalizing marijuana – Denver Catholic

 

Misconceptions   Environmental Impact   Road Safety   

Mental Health   Child Exposure   Racial Justice

One-Page Handout on Marijuana in Minnesota

Partners

The Minnesota Catholic Conference is a member of Minnesotans Against Marijuana Legalization (MAML) a coalition to limit the expansion of recreational marijuana in Minnesota. MAML members believe recreational marijuana should not be expanded in Minnesota without considering the negative impacts that such a policy will have on our roads, workplaces, communities, and homes, and without providing the statutory, technical and financial resources needed to address the negative impacts.

Visit MAML

You may also want to check out MAML's "Learn the Lessons MN" initiative, which seeks to grow discussion about the impacts of legal cannabis on our state’s youth, roads, workplaces, and economy.

Check Out Learn the Lessons MN

 

Primers

If you only have time to read a few articles, read these:

Resources for Parents and Families

MOMS STRONG – “Moms Strong is a non-partisan, non-denominational parent support group partnering to inform and educate about the harms from marijuana. We are not funded by industry or the government, rather by parents as we hope to spread awareness and prevent tragedies like we’ve experienced.”

PARENTS OPPOSED TO POT – “Parents Opposed to Pot came together in 2014 to offset the hype promoting marijuana and present a more realistic message exposing the harms of this drug. We’re a non-partisan group whose message is relevant to all families with children regardless of race or religion. No amount of marijuana use is safe, and we intend to show you why.”

EVERY BRAIN MATTERS – “Every Brain Matters is a community and a unifying alliance of organizations and individuals that educate about the dangers of marijuana and the drug culture expansion.”

MAYO CLINIC HEALTH SYSTEM – Blog: “How youth marijuana, alcohol use impacts life.”

 

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