[Press release] PHOENIX — A group of local faith leaders is urging Arizonans to vote ‘yes’ on Prop. 205, citing a “moral obligation to support change” because current marijuana prohibition laws “cause significant harm to individuals families, and society.” In an open letter to voters, Arizona clergy members representing various faith backgrounds explain why they support regulating marijuana like alcohol. A link to the full letter is available at the bottom of this release.
It is also signed by Rev. Alexander E. Sharp, executive director of Clergy for a New Drug Policy, a national organization of faith leaders advocating for sensible alternatives to the failed war on drugs. Rev. Sharp is available for interviews Friday until 12 p.m.
“One does not have to use marijuana – or even approve of marijuana – to see that our current laws are not working, nor are they, in our view, just,” the faith leaders write. “As we seek to teach compassion and love, it seems inconsistent to support, in cases of private personal adult marijuana possession, the use of police, guns, and courts. The faith community, parents, peers, counselors, and educators are the appropriate means to address this kind of personal behavior.”
There were 151,276 arrests for adult marijuana possession in Arizona from 2005-2015, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, including 13,321 last year. Possession of any amount of marijuana is a felony under state law. Possession of up to one ounce will be legal for adults 21 and older if voters approve Prop. 205. Currently, it carries a penalty of up to two years in jail and a fine of up to $150,000.
“If a punishment policy fails to meet its objectives and causes harm to humans, we have a moral obligation to support change,” the faith leaders write. “Our laws punishing marijuana use continue to cause significant harm to individuals, families, and society. In response to that harm, we support replacing marijuana prohibition with a system of strict regulation and sensible safeguards. We urge all voters in Arizona to support Proposition 205.”
Read the full clergy letter to Arizona voters here.
The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol is supporting Proposition 205, an initiative on the November 2016 ballot that would end marijuana prohibition in Arizona and replace it with a system in which marijuana is regulated and taxed like alcohol. For more information, visit http://www.RegulateMarijuana.org.
