Pope rejects the legalization of drugs and calls drug traffickers “murderers”

ROME (EUROPA PRESS) – Pope Francis does not believe that the legalization of drugs is a good strategy to reduce drug consumption, an idea that he considers a “fantasy” because, in his opinion, with these open policies “more is consumed” . Furthermore, he has denounced “the bad intentions and actions of drug dealers and traffickers.” “They are murderers,” he said.

“The reduction of drug addiction is not achieved by liberalizing consumption – this is a fantasy – as has been proposed, or has already been applied, in some countries. It is liberalized and more is consumed,” said the Pope during the general audience held this morning in St. Peter’s Square.

In fact, the Pontiff focused his meditation on the World Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, which is celebrated this Wednesday. “After having known so many tragic stories of drug addicts and their families,” Francisco explained, “I am convinced that it is a moral duty to put an end to the production and trafficking of these dangerous substances. How many traffickers of death are there, motivated by the logic of power and money at any price! This plague, which produces violence and sows suffering and death, demands an act of courage on the part of the entire society,” he said.

Francis recalled the words of Saint John Paul II: “Drugs impoverish every community in which they are present. They destroy the will to live and to contribute to a better society.”

In any case, he explained that each drug addict “brings with them a different personal story, which must be listened to, understood, loved and, to the extent possible, healed and purified.” “Everyone continues to have, more than ever, dignity, as people who are children of God,” she indicated.

Regarding drug traffickers, he asked for prayers for the conversion of those “criminals” who give drugs to young people. “I tell drug traffickers to reflect on the harm they are doing to a multitude of young people and adults from all social strata: God will hold them accountable for what they have done. Human dignity cannot be trampled on in this way.”

For Francis, another priority way of combating drug use and trafficking is prevention, which is carried out by “promoting greater justice, educating young people in the values ​​that build personal and community life, accompanying those who find themselves in difficulty and giving hope for the future.”

In this way, he praised the work of recovery communities inspired by the Gospel, which are “a strong and hopeful testimony of the commitment of priests, consecrated persons and lay people to put into practice the parable of the Good Samaritan.”

The Pope also encouraged the initiatives launched by various episcopal conferences “to promote fair legislation and policies regarding the treatment of people addicted to drugs and prevention to stop this scourge.” In particular, he mentioned the Latin American Pastoral Network for the Accompaniment and Prevention of Addictions (PLAPA) and the initiative of the bishops of Southern Africa, who called for a meeting in November 2023 under the title “Training young people as agents of peace and hope.”

Finally, Francis acknowledged that in the face of the “tragic situation” of drug addiction of millions of people in the world, in the face of the “scandal” of the production and illicit trafficking of these drugs, society cannot be “indifferent.” “We too are called to act, to stop in situations of fragility and pain, to know how to listen to the cry of loneliness and anguish, to bend down to lift up and return to a new life those who fall into the slavery of drugs,” he concluded.