Father John Bonavitacola recently admonished parishioners from Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Tempe against supporting the effort to legalize recreational marijuana use in the state.

In the church's Aug. 30 bulletin, Bonavitacola alleged that the effort to decriminalize marijuana use in the the state is nothing short of profiteering by rich white men at the head of a “megacorporation cannabis industry” intent on selling “poison” to poor communities.

“I have previously written about this issue extensively but it may be time for a review of the facts versus the myths," Bonavitacola said. "This Proposition will be sold to you as ‘smart and safe’. It is neither. That of course is how legalized medical marijuana was sold to the voters of AZ.” 

Bonavitacola also noted that when medical marijuana use was legalized in the state in 2010, it was with the expectation that there would be no push later for the complete decriminalization of marijuana in Arizona.

“Despite all the promises made by the proponents of the Medical Marijuana Legalization Ballot Proposition, these promises were not kept nor has medical-use cannabis been restricted to those with identifiable medical conditions,” Bonavitacola said.

He also alleges that the decriminalization of marijuana in Colorado has been a disaster, pointing parishioners to the Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy advocacy website.

“We have a lot to lose if AZ legalizes recreational marijuana use," Bonavitacola said. "Any increase in tax revenue will be offset by the cost of increased traffic accidents, hospital visits, including mental health visits and hospitalizations, increasing healthcare costs as well as the cost of social and family conflict. 

“But get ready AZ for a strong and very well-funded propaganda campaign to convince you that ‘it’s just pot.’ Except it’s not your father’s pot any more. The potency of today’s cannabis is nothing like the stuff you smoked in the '70s and it is very harmful especially to the developing adolescent brain.”