But unlike the Opposition Leader, the churches aren't looking at the potential economic gain, but rather the hefty price they believe the country will pay should marijuana be legalized. In the Council of Churches' latest release, they said, quote, "We believe that the growth and distribution of marijuana creates and/or enhances societal and moral ills already plaguing our country. Legalizing the growing and distribution of a drug, which will ultimately be available, locally, and consumed on a recreational basis that causes effects on the human body, particularly our youth, is not a path civil society should choose to take." End quote.
This is similar to a previous release from the Catholic Church, in which they gave a long list of consequences they claim will come along with legalizing marijuana, including the end of family tourism, increased deaths due to accidents and suicide, cognitive damages, and more high school dropouts.
Today we asked the Minister if he feels these claims are exaggerated.
Hon. Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs and New Growth Industries
"Like I say time and time again I respect their views and their opinions. I would agree that some of their concerns are a bit detached from reality. A release that the NEAB put out a couple weeks ago said that we are going to create a narco state. Now, like I said they are not in touch with what is going 
on on the ground especially in Belize City, because we are importing marijuana, we are importing cannabis from Mexico and what is coming along with this illegal trade are guns, let's be real. The cartels are actually sending drugs and sending guns to our young men who are just killing up one another over this plant. Imagine that. And so we are saying that as government we want to implement more controls, more regulations, we want to increase the age for you to qualify to consume to 21(years old). You actually have to have an ID card to go in a dispensary to purchase and so we are doing all of these things to regulate and to control the industry, so it's not legalization to the extent that everybody can plant marijuana wherever they want distribute - it's nothing like that, its actually the opposite. Its creating an industry, around cannabis. That is done all across the world. I mean you see it happening everyday in United States more and more States are moving into this direction. They are not getting any opposition from the churches and I know we are more conservative society and like I said I respect that, I respect their views, but at times I believe they are a little detached from the reality on the ground."
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