Press Release: Religious Leaders Support Marijuana Ballot Initiative

Fifty-one Clergy From A Dozen Denominations in 46 Towns Throughout Massachusetts Urge Voters to Pass Question 2 Contact: Charles Thomas, IDPI Executive Director, at 301-938-1577 November 3, 2008 — Religious leaders throughout Massachusetts are urging voters to pass Question 2, replacing incarceration and a criminal record with a civil fine for possession of a small amount of marijuana for personal use. Fifty-one clergy in 46 towns and cities signed a statement proclaiming, “We support changing Massachusetts law so that people who possess under an ounce of marijuana will no longer face arrest or prison.” The clergypersons calling for more just and compassionate policies are from a dozen different denominations, including Catholic, Congregationalist, and American Baptist. Several denominations and other major religious groups also have adopted official positions opposing criminal penalties for marijuana users, including the National Council of Churches, United Methodist Church, Presbyterian Church USA, Central Conference of American Rabbis, and the Unitarian Universalist Association. In Massachusetts, more than 7,500 people a year are arrested for the personal possession of an ounce or less of marijuana and face up to six months in jail and a fine. In addition, a Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) report is generated upon arrest, which frequently bans individuals from obtaining school loans and professional licensure, as well as substantially limiting opportunities for employment and housing, thereby impeding their ability to lead productive lives. “Those we incarcerate are not faceless strangers but our children,” said Pastor Jeffrey Long-Middleton from the West Acton Baptist Church. “It is unjust to lock them up for behaviors that don’t directly harm others. In fact, the current laws only increase the likelihood that they will become trapped in a cycle of offenses and self-harm.” A small group of only six clergypersons recently spoke out against Question 2, having been misled into believing that replacing criminal penalties with a civil fine would lead to an increase in marijuana usage by young people. In fact, eleven other states enacted similar laws in the past 35 years, and there was no resulting increase in marijuana use in any age group in those states. “We’re not urging anyone to use marijuana,” said the Rev. Marc Fredette from the First Unitarian Universalist Parish in Waltham. “But it is worse to have a marijuana policy that doesn’t accomplish any of its goals, disproportionately punishes the most vulnerable members of our community, and continues to punish them even after they’ve served their sentence.” Marijuana use rates are the same across race and class lines; however, arrest and conviction rates rise dramatically for offenders of color, youth, and the economically disadvantaged. Efforts to educate the public about the need to pass Question 2 include a full-page ad in today’s Berkshire Eagle, quoting the religious leaders’ entire statement of support. “It’s time to set the record straight,” said Charles Thomas, executive director of the Interfaith Drug Policy Initiative in Washington, D.C. “Criminal penalties for marijuana possession violates the core religious principles of justice and compassion. Religious leaders everywhere are seeing the light, and it’s very encouraging that clergy in Massachusetts taking a position on Question 2 are overwhelmingly supportive.”