Pope Francis may have liberal opinions about atheism and homosexuality, views that defy the expectations of those who assume that the leader of the Catholic Church has stringent standards when it comes to these issues, but the pope apparently has a strong stand against the legalization of illicit drugs.
Addressing the delegates of the 31st International Drug Enforcement Conference in Rome on Friday, the pope reaffirmed his position on what he sees as dangers of drug use and described drug addiction as an evil that should be given no room for compromise.
"Drug addiction is an evil, and with evil there can be no yielding or compromise," the pope said. "To think that harm can be reduced by permitting drug addicts to use narcotics in no way resolves the problem."
The pope, who has ministered drug addicts in Argentina before becoming pope in March 2013, issued his statement at a time when legalization of marijuana is gaining grounds worldwide particularly in the U.S. and countries in South America.
In 2013, Uruguay has made it legal to grow, sell and smoke marijuana. The pope's home country Argentina, where possessions of controlled substances has been decriminalized five years back, also debate on following the steps of Uruguay. He said that the problem with drugs cannot be solved with drugs and expressed his concerns that more young lives become in danger with the growing prevalence of drug use.
Pope Francis, who was named Time's person of the year in 2013, also said that saying yes to love, education and job opportunities would give no room for illicit drug use, alcohol abuse and other forms of addiction.
Although the pope did not directly tackle on the issue of marijuana for medical treatment, his statement also suggests he does not support any form of drug use.
"Here I would reaffirm what I have stated on another occasion: No to every type of drug use", the pope said. "It is as simple as that. No to any kind of drug use."
Several states in the U.S. have already legalized medical pot. Earlier this week, New York governor Andrew Cuomo and state legislators came up with a deal to legalize medical marijuana for use by patients suffering from serious medical conditions such as cancer, epilepsy and AIDS. The law will automatically expire in seven years and will be subject for evaluation before it can be reauthorized.
