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By David Hudnall | Phoenix New Times
The public policy arm of the Catholic Church in Arizona has weighed in on Proposition 207, the November ballot initiative that seeks to legalize recreational marijuana in the state.
They don’t like it.
Legalized weed “sends a message to children that drug use is socially and morally acceptable,” the Bishops of the Arizona Catholic Conference wrote in a joint letter, published September 25. “As people of faith, we must speak out against this effort and the damaging effects its passage would haREve on children and families.”
Related: I’m a lay minister and a Republican, and I support Prop. 207 to legalize marijuana
As rationale, the bishops cite rising child fatality rates in Arizona attributed to marijuana and state that “problematic” marijuana use is 25 percent higher among teens in states that legalized recreational marijuana.
