SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — On Aug. 23, a general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) expressed the organization’s official position against Proposition 2, a medical marijuana initiative that’s scheduled to be on the ballot in Utah in November.
In May the Mormon church announced it had “grave concerns about this initiative and the serious adverse consequences that could follow if it were adopted.” At the time the LDS Church, which is a majority faith in Utah, urged voters to educate themselves and “to make their own judgment.”
The recent announcement sent to church members said the proposition creates “a serious threat to health and public safety, especially for our youth and young adults, by making marijuana generally available with few controls.”
Polls taken prior to the May announcement found that three-quarters of Utah voters were in favor of legalizing medical marijuana in the state. However, support for the November ballot measure had dropped in a June poll.
In the past, once the LDS Church has taken a strong stand on a political issue, Mormons have tended to fall in line with the Church’s position, such as Proposition 8 in California in 2008 and the Equal Rights Amendment in 1974.
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