Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Tempe shared a notefrom the Rev. John Bonavitacola in the church's Sept. 20 bulletin on the matter of the legalization of marijuana.

Fr. Bonavitacola noted that in previous elections, many individuals voted for the legalization of medical marijuana under the belief that it was an important treatment option for those who were suffering from sickness or other conditions that normal medication could not treat sufficiently. 

“At this point some of you still hold to that position, others may have changed your minds seeing that medical marijuana has caused more problems than it solved,” Bonavitacola said.

As the new ballot Prop 207 now stands, however, the recreational use of the plant is now being considered. Those who support medical marijuana usage and vote for the legalization of recreational marijuana will be doing a great disservice to the medical marijuana industry. 

“Those who need marijuana for medical purposes will at the very least pay much more for it and have much less or no access to it at all,” Bonavitacola said. “There is a difference in potency and effícacy between medical grade and recreational grade marijuana. In general, Medical Marijuana Acts set certain standards so that the marijuana would be both effective and affordable for medical use.”

On the other hand, recreational marijuana does not have the same requirements that medical use marijuana does, and there is a great deal more profit along with less regulation on recreational usage of the substance than in the medical world. 

“The current focus of the medical marijuana dispensaries on catering to sick patients will cease and shift to casual users," Bonavitacola said. "Additionally, Prop 207 allows marijuana retailers to advertise on all platforms, unlike tobacco which is highly restricted from advertising,” Bonavitacola said. 

Prop. 207 also has limits on the federal and state tax that is taken on the sale of marijuana, which is an incentive for companies looking to turn a profit from legalized recreational marijuana.

“Anyway, my point here is that recreational use marijuana, as we have seen in other states, will make the availability of medical use marijuana almost if not impossible to access; and where it is available it will be very expensive," Fr. Bonavitacola said. "So for those who now use it to manage a medical condition, if 207 passes, they may be out of luck or out of a lot of cash.”