Inthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), there is a general prohibition, deriving from theWord of Wisdom, against intoxicating substances;cannabis was explicitly banned by the church in 1915.[1] The church has also sought to influence "appropriate" legal resolutions on medical cannabis.[2]
In August 1915, the LDS Church banned the use of cannabis by its members, and two months later the state ofUtah banned cannabis. Some scholars have linked the two events, arguing that cannabis usage by Mormon returnees who had earlier fled toMexico led the church, and later the state, to make their decisions.[1] Others contradict this, noting that Utah's prohibition laws were part of a larger package of anti-drug laws which happened to include cannabis, but did not indicate a statewide concern.[3]
The decriminalization effort in 1971 was said to be strong in Utah due to the state's high rate of use of cannabis, and the preference ofLatter-day Saints to handle matters within the church and family.[4]
As medical and recreational cannabisdecriminalization movements began in the late twentieth and early twenty-first century in theUnited States, the LDS Church has been asked for its position on the issue.
In a 2010 conference for local church leaders in Colorado,general authorities of the church, including now currentchurch presidentRussell M. Nelson, explained in answer to a question that the church has no position onmedical marijuana and that the issue was left to individual consultation with scriptures and a member'sbishop.[5] This same stance was later reiterated in a private discussion among theQuorum of the Twelve Apostles in a 2010 video that was made public in 2016. The discussion included consensus that the church opposed recreational marijuana use more broadly but had no position on medical use specifically.[6]
In February 2016, the church released a statement supporting efforts to legalizeCBD oil in Utah, but not whole-plant cannabis remedies:
While we are not in a position to evaluate specific medical claims, the Church understands that there are some individuals who may benefit from the medical use of compounds found in marijuana. For that reason, although the Church opposesSB 73, it has raised no objection to SB 89. These two competing pieces of legislation take very different approaches when it comes to issues like access, distribution, control and the potential harm of the hallucinogenic compound, THC.[7]
In October 2016, the church'sFirst Presidency sent a letter tocongregations inCalifornia,Nevada, andArizona (states which were to vote on legalized recreational cannabis in November), urging members to oppose legalization:
Drug abuse in the United States is at epidemic proportions, and the dangers of marijuana to public health and safety are well documented. Recent studies have shed light particularly on the risks marijuana use poses to brain development in youth. The accessibility of recreational marijuana in the home is also a danger to children. ... We urge Church members to let their voices be heard in opposition to the legalization of recreational marijuana.[8]
In a 2019 article in the church's youth magazineNew Era, the following statement was given regarding cannabis:
Marijuana may be legal for medicinal or even recreational use in a lot of places now, but that doesn't mean that any use is suddenly not against the Word of Wisdom. Medical uses are being studied, but just like many pain medications such as opioids, marijuana is an addictive substance. Such habit-forming substances should be avoided except under the care of a competent physician, and then used only as prescribed.[9]