Pope Francis spoke at a conference in Rome recently to make his thoughts known on legalizing drugs. The Pope believes that legalizing drugs is a flawed and failed experiment.
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Francis devoted some of his pastoral work in Buenos Aires to caring for addicts. Francis told delegates attending the drug enforcement conference in Rome that limited steps to legalize drugs are problematic.
According to the Associated Press, Francis said that that the addicts with drugs offered only "a veiled means of surrendering to the phenomenon. Let me state this in the clearest terms possible," he said. "The problem of drug use is not solved with drugs!”
The conference looked at legislation in the United States and in South America. Last month, Argentina’s neighbor Uruguay cleared the way for the legal sales of marijuana cigarettes in pharmacies. Meanwhile, Uruguay is the first country to look at marijuana legalization and regulation altogether. In the United States, recreational use of marijuana has been legalized in Colorado and Washington.
Francis characterized drug addiction as evil, according to The Guardian. Pope Francis’ point of view is that the reason for using drugs must be considered.