Pubdate: Wed, 15 Oct 2014
Source: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (AK)
Copyright: 2014 Fairbanks Publishing Company, Inc.
Contact:  http://newsminer.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/764
Author: Roger L. Schwietz
Note: Archbishop Roger L. Schwietz, OMI, oversees the Catholic 
Archdiocese of Anchorage and is the Apostolic Administer for the 
Diocese of Fairbanks.

MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION WOULD BE IMMORAL

Each of us living in this great state knows Alaska offers many things 
to all residents. We are surrounded by amazing beauty that nearly a 
million people pay to experience each summer. We each receive an 
annual dividend from the natural resources developed in the oil 
fields and we are blessed with neighbors and friends who look out for 
one another.

In Alaska, an ordinary citizen or group of citizens has the ability 
to decide an issue is so important that every registered voter in the 
state has the right to express an opinion on the topic. This 
November's general election ballot includes several such issues. Our 
Catholic Church teaching requires us to vote with an informed 
conscience on issues that will affect the greater good. These are my 
thoughts for consideration on Ballot Measure 2.

Ballot Measure 2 seeks to legalize, commercialize, advertise and 
industrialize marijuana and concentrated marijuana products in 
Alaska. If passed, marijuana production, sale and use would be taxed 
and regulated. Marijuana would be legalized in all forms for those 
older than 21. During the course my years of ministry, I have 
witnessed the tragic consequences that come from use of addictive 
substances, both alcohol and drug related. From a moral perspective, 
I cannot support this initiative.

The debate in favor of legalization has largely been framed in the 
language of personal freedom. I judge this to be an inadequate 
analysis of both the morality and the advisability of adopting this 
measure. Our personal freedom always exists in the context of the 
communities to which we belong. Personal freedom that is not balanced 
by sensible regulation for the common good destroys the communities 
that are the guarantors of our personal freedom.

Many claim marijuana is safer than smoking or drinking. Neither is 
healthy. For many people, the primary objective in using marijuana is 
to "get high."

Alaska law allows for the cultivation of fewer than 25 plants of 
marijuana for personal use in a private home. Any amount less than 4 
ounces in a private home is allowable under the right to privacy of 
the Alaska constitution.

Since possession and use of marijuana under these limits is 
permissible, is there a need to make marijuana more widely available? 
As a state, do we need to provide access to products such as Mountain 
High Suckers, which look like a child's lollipop, Krondike Ice Cream 
bars, which have a similar logo as a Klondike Bar, or cookie and 
brownie products, or soda that looks similar to other beverages on the market?

Studies have proven marijuana use can compromise judgment which can 
lead to engaging in risky behaviors with negative consequences. It 
can seriously affect a person's sense of time and coordination. Its 
use is not simply a case of private behavior, as the cost of use can 
affect society as a whole. If it becomes a legal substance, how do we 
ensure the safety of our roads or even our sky if people begin 
driving or flying under the influence of this now-legal product?

Substance abuse of all kinds has been the source of untold human 
suffering and pain. Most every person in Alaska knows someone whose 
life has been devastated by substance abuse. Substance abuse is 
associated with domestic violence and suicide - statistics Alaska 
leads the nation in.

Each of us has the obligation to reflect on all of the issues this 
initiative raises. We believe, as Catholics, that we have a 
responsibility to one another and to the wider community. It is 
insufficient to simply avoid what is wrong for ourselves. We need to 
work for the common good.

I believe there would be significant risks to the physical and 
spiritual health of our state were this measure to pass.

A secondary issue of concern is the measure also removes "local 
control" in the case of marijuana.

Alaska law allows communities to control alcohol by becoming a "dry", 
"damp" or "wet" village. If passed, communities would not have the 
same ability related to marijuana. Marijuana and marijuana products 
would be legal everywhere in the state. Elders and community leaders 
in our villages have repeatedly expressed their belief that the 
presence of legal marijuana would add to the challenges they face in 
their communities.

I urge everyone to vote in the November. Before the election, I ask 
that you reflect on what is at stake, become informed and vote your convictions.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom