State Roman Catholic Bishops Oppose Legalization of Recreational Marijuana

October 5, 2016

PHOTO COURTESY OF FALL RIVER DIOCESE Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha of the Newark, NJ, Archdiocese will be Bishop of the Fall River Diocese in Massachusetts. This portrait was taken Monday, August 25, 2014 in Newark, NJ. /Russ DeSantis Photography and Video, LLC

PHOTO COURTESY OF FALL RIVER DIOCESE
Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha of the Fall River Diocese in Massachusetts. Russ DeSantis Photography and Video, LLC

HYANNIS – The Roman Catholic Bishops of Massachusetts, including Fall River Diocese Bishop Edgar da Cunha who oversees the Cape and Islands, have issued a statement on the potential legalization of recreational marijuana.

The Bishops note that legalizing a drug for recreational use that causes negative effects to the human body is not a path that civil society should choose to take.

The Bishops point to the impact that Colorado has felt since 2013, when according to recent studies, traffic deaths have increased by 48 percent and 21 percent of all those killed in traffic accidents tested positive for marijuana.

According to the same study, marijuana hospitalizations in Colorado have doubled from 2011 to 2014.

In their joint statement, the Bishops said that they join Governor Baker and other elected officials in opposing Question 4, which legalizes marijuana, on the November 8 ballot.