Pope Francis disapproved of the legalization of recreational drugs, while speaking at a drug enforcement conference in Rome on June 20th. He said legalization efforts like those that took place in states like Washington and Colorado are “not only highly questionable from a legislative standpoint, but they fail to produce the desired effects. Let me state this in the clearest terms possible: The problem of drug use is not solved with drugs.”
Two studies, a Gallup Survey conducted in October 2013 and a CNN Poll conducted in January 2014, found the 58 percent and 55 percent Americans support the legalization of marijuana respectively. CNN clarified that in 1987, 70 percent respondents thought smoking marijuana was morally incorrect but today that number is 35 percent.
However, Francis stood by his views, describing recreational drugs as “evil” and legalization of it as a bad idea.
“Drug addiction is an evil, and with evil there can be no yielding or compromising… To think that harm can be reduced by permitting drug addicts to use narcotics in no way resolves the problem,” he said.
Also, this is not the first time that Francis has protested against the legalization of marijuana. While visiting recovering addicts at a rehabilitation center in Rio de Janeiro in 2013, he condemned the idea of legalizing recreational drugs with much fervor. However, in April 2014, Uruguay, which lies adjacent to Francis’ home state Argentina, approved the selling of marijuana cigarettes in pharmacies.
Francis has urged authorities to address the problems underlying the use of drugs instead of legalizing it, saying the focus should be shifted from improving drug availability to improving individuals’ quality of life.
On June 24th, however, political commentator Bill Maher voiced his support for the legalization of marijuana while speaking to television host Jon Stewart on his Daily Show.
“How come people who think drugs are bad because they distort reality are always the people who spend all day talking to an imaginary friend,” he asked, raising important questions related to recreational drug use and atheism in a single statement.
Photo Credit: Agência Brasil
