Mormon church opposes medical marijuana in Utah [View all]

Mormon church comes out in opposition to Utah's medical marijuana ballot initiative

Utah has yet to officially add a ballot initiative allowing residents to vote for allowing medical marijuana, but one of the state's biggest institutions is coming out against it.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) issued a memorandum prepared by the church's regular legal firm, Kirton McConkie, with 31 different "legal issues" supporting its stance against allowing marijuana for medicinal use.

The required 200,000 signatures to put the ballot initiative to voters in November was submitted for review on April 16, according to The Associated Press. The church said in April, two days after the signatures pushing for the initiative to be added to the ballot were submitted, that it did not support the move.

Among the 31 issues (in opposing) the initiative: it will allow some people to grow their own marijuana, it will create significant challenges for law enforcement, dispensaries will be allowed to give free samples to card holders, people with prior convictions will be allowed to get a card, it does not require a person to get a doctor's prescription, marijuana will become more accessible to minors, and dispensaries need only to be located 600 feet from schools, churches and playgrounds.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/mormon-church-opposition-utahs-medical-marijuana-ballot-initiative/story?id=55115518