Catholic Church comes out against cannabis legalization in Guam

Guam is inching closer to legalizing recreational cannabis. But as senators engage in deliberating the bill that would make that possible, a prominent member of the Catholic community is speaking out against the move.

 

 

Archbishop Michael Jude Byrnes announced the church’s opposition to legalizing the drug for over-21 adult use. While he may have missed comment period for Bill 32-35, which was authored by Sen. Clynt Ridgell and five others, Byrnes made it known the church is unequivocally opposed to legalization

“As a community already riddled with a drug problem of epidemic magnitude, we need to focus on reducing the presence of illegal drugs and substances that intoxicate our people, not aid their proliferation,” says Byrnes’ statement.

Byrnes wrote that legalization would be “destructive on multiple levels” for residents of the territory, which is about 75 percent Catholic.

In this 2011 photo provided by Archdiocese of Detroit, Bishop Michael Jude Byrnes poses at Sacred Heart Major Seminary Chapel in Detroit.

“Certainly it will adversely affect the common good of our families, marriages, youth, government organizations, businesses and the very identity of our island as a family-oriented community,” the archbishop writes.

A copy of the statement was distributed to Catholic schools, parishes and other groups.

Byrnes says that the Archdiocese of Agana believes that many choose to consume cannabis to disconnect from reality and self-medicate.

“It is a false solution that only creates more problems for individuals and the people that surround them,” Byrnes wrote. “Rather than escape, we need engagement.”

Byrnes cited some studies relating to how cannabis can be detrimental to youth brain development, noting that a 2015 Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s High School Youth Risk Behavior study indicated that 49 percent of high school students in Guam reported having used cannabis at least once.

“That’s 10 percent higher than their peers in the U.S. mainland who came in at 39 percent,” Byrnes says.

Archbishop Michael Jude Byrnes announced the church’s opposition to legalizing the drug for over-21 adult use.

Byrnes was promoted to the position of the archbishop to replace Anthony Apuron, who was removed after being found guilty of sexual abuse.

The Archdiocese of Agana filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy late last year.

Senators are expected to vote on the Bill 32, which has the Governor’s support, as soon as Monday. The bill needs a minimum of eight votes to pass.