That They Might Have Life
Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila
The Most Reverend Samuel J. Aquila is the archbishop of Denver. His episcopal motto is, “Do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2:5).
WWNN: Why did you write a pastoral letter on drugs, with a special focus on marijuana?
Archbishop Aquila: I was the newly appointed Archbishop of Denver when Colorado voted to legalize recreational marijuana in 2012. I felt a need to speak about the devastating effects witnessed firsthand, especially since many states have followed Colorado’s lead. The legalization of marijuana and cultural acceptance of drug use has been disastrous to our society, and there are limited Catholic resources about it. In That They Might Have Life I approach marijuana via the natural law, Christian morality, and the findings of social science, because we need Catholics who can dialogue with everyone about this important issue.
For this letter we really did our homework. It is full of well-documented research data from a variety of sources. Since laws against marijuana have changed, one benefit—if I can call it that—has been wider opportunity to study the effects of it on the individual and on society. So we were able to draw from studies conducted recently that used better methodologies.
WWNN: How did you approach the issue of recreational drugs in the letter?
Archbishop Aquila: We can only judge whether an action is good or bad for a thing when we understand its purpose. So the letter begins with man’s purpose and nature, which are foundational in assessing recreational drug use. Humanity was created to know and love God. We were made to be in relationship with our Creator, and He designed us for that purpose. God gave each of us an intellect to know Him, a will to choose to love Him, and emotions to move us to actions that propel us toward Him and repel us from evils that draw us away from Him.
Understanding that we are persons created for loving communion, we can judge that drugs are only an apparent good. They are bad for us since they hinder our ability to know and to love. Drugs diminish our self-possession by harming the very faculties that make us human: they inhibit our use of reason, weaken our will’s orientation toward the good, and train our emotions to expect quick relief from artificial pleasure. These effects severely limit our ability to freely give ourselves to another—whether it be temporarily, as in the case of occasional drug use, or regularly, as in the case of drug addiction. We say “no” to drugs so that we may fully say “yes” to our vocation to love.
But, of course, there are many legitimate uses of therapeutic drugs. Medicines that assist in restoring the body to health are a genuine good that help us fulfill our God-given purpose.
WWNN: What does our Catholic tradition add to discussion about recreational drug use?
Archbishop Aquila: Beyond the natural dignity that comes from being a beloved creature of God, made to know, choose, and live love, Scripture teaches that we are made in the image of God. And, as if this isn’t enough, we are invited to eternal union with Him. It is wondrous that we are called to share in the very life of God! We can sum up the two foundational principles that explain why recreational drugs are immoral like so:
Since the human person is of such value, it is wrong to use any substance that is harmful to human life.
Anything that diminishes man’s use of reason and will assails his dignity as a human person and is therefore harmful.
Drugs assault the human person by negatively affecting him on physical, intellectual, psychological, social, and moral levels. They diminish man’s ability to make free choices because they impede the intellect and dull judgment, while simultaneously weakening the will and sapping moral energy. Drug use frustrates a person’s capacity for communion and self-gift—with each other and with God—which is her very reason for being.
For us as Catholics, our vocation to love is lived with and through the Person of Jesus, who said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (Jn 10:10). This abundant life, which the Church Fathers identified as eternal life, is not simply a promise fulfilled in the next world; it is a reality we can begin to experience in this one. While drugs offer fleeting pleasure, Jesus wants to give us a fullness of love, joy, and peace that remains constant through life’s peaks and valleys. Rather than reaching for chemicals when we are feeling weary and burdened, Jesus invites us to turn to Him, who promises rest and abundance.
WWNN: Obviously most Americans don’t agree with the Church on this issue; you even cite a study that says 70% of Americans think recreational marijuana should be legal. What have you seen in Colorado since its legalization?
Archbishop Aquila: Many argued for the legalization of marijuana because of the tax revenue it would generate, but our government is spending much more than it collects in taxes once all the related costs are calculated. One study found that for every dollar of tax revenue, Coloradans spent about $4.50 on costs stemming from its legalization. I think many minds would change on this issue if they understood their tax dollars were paying to offset the many negative effects of the legalization of marijuana.
More importantly, while people tend to think of marijuana as harmless, we have witnessed a spike in addiction, with marijuana use disorder more than doubling in a span of less than twenty years. This is not surprising since Coloradans’ cannabis use has increased dramatically since legalization: the latest data show about a 25% increase. More people using marijuana inevitably means more addiction.
Increasing cannabis use has also ballooned other problems. One study that tracked a major local hospital found marijuana-related emergency room visits tripled after the sale of recreational marijuana began in January 2014. Issues ranged from cannabis-induced bouts of vomiting to acute psychiatric symptoms to cardiovascular problems. Another troubling fact is that marijuana-related DUIs in the state more than doubled in the first six years since legalization. Tragically, traffic deaths involving drivers who tested positive for marijuana also more than doubled. In a similarly heartrending vein, statistics show that the number of Coloradans with marijuana in their systems when they committed suicide also more than doubled. These lives needlessly lost and impacted need to be part of the national conversation on the legalization of marijuana.
WWNN: What about other drugs?
Archbishop Aquila: When a drug is illegal, it deters a certain percentage of the population from using it, and that is a good thing. Last year Colorado voted to remove criminal penalties for psychedelic mushrooms and three other psychedelic substances, and this will inevitably increase the drugs’ harm to society, like we saw above with the legalization of marijuana.
We have already witnessed the tragic results of Colorado’s decision to reclassify fentanyl possession from a felony to a misdemeanor in 2019. Although well-meaning, one study estimates that the change in classification caused a staggering 600 additional deaths, even when taking into account the upward trend of fentanyl use in the previous years. The tragic story of this deadly drug reinforces Pope Francis’ words, “Drug addiction is an evil, and with evil there can be no yielding or compromise.” The opioid epidemic is especially heartbreaking and we must do everything in our power to deter all kinds of drugs—recreational and illegal—because lives are at stake.
Ultimately, it isn’t laws but the human person that is at the center of this problem. At the heart of drug use we tend to find two core themes: a crisis of values and a privation of relational connection that make the person open or susceptible to drug use. The most important thing we can do as Christians in response to a drug culture is to proclaim the Gospel. It is through the love, mercy, meaning, and hope found in Christ that people will be deterred from drug use or inspired to break free of its influence. In the pastoral letter I say more about the Church’s three-pronged effort against drugs (namely, prevention, suppression, and rehabilitation).
WWNN: Many people think there’s no difference between drugs and alcohol. How do you respond to that objection?
Archbishop Aquila: Temperate use of alcohol, along with condemnation of drunkenness, has always been part of Catholic tradition. Scripture itself describes wine as a blessing from God.1 Historically, alcohol has been enjoyed not only for the taste, but also for its hydrating, nutritional, and medicinal properties. We see this idea echoed in Scripture when St. Paul tells St. Timothy, “Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses” (1 Tim 5:23). Additionally, Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana bolsters the case that alcohol is a good that we may moderately enjoy not just for health but also for mirth. Lastly and most powerfully, that Jesus chooses to change bread and wine into His very Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity makes clear that both substances must be good in themselves.
In the pastoral letter I also go into detail about how the average American drinks alcohol for hydration and enjoyment, while the typical use of recreational drugs is intoxication. Both can be abused, but most Americans who drink do not binge drink; most Americans who use drugs get high.
WWNN: Any final thoughts?
Archbishop Aquila: If we’re going to change hearts and minds on this issue, it will be accomplished largely by the laity. I encourage each WWNN reader to read the pastoral letter.
It is full of footnotes and precise citations to the studies referred to earlier in the interview. I took great care to write it in an accessible way, so though it is written with academic precision, you don’t have to be an academic to understand it. This is especially true for the spiritual aspects, which engage our hearts as well as our minds. What we need now are Catholics who can speak intelligently against the typical arguments in favor of recreational drug use and legalization. Learn, and then talk to your siblings, your cousins, your children, your nieces and nephews. Ask their views about the meaning of life, how to handle life’s inevitable pain, and drug use. After listening, share what you’ve learned from the pastoral letter (or share the letter itself) and most importantly, share how your life and your answer to those questions are different because of Jesus. Give them a glimpse into your own efforts to step into the abundant life offered by Christ. In the words of St. John Paul II, “Be not afraid!”
Jayd Henricks is President of Catholic Laity and Clergy for Renewal. He served for 11 years at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), six as the Executive Director of Government Relations. He has written extensively on the Church in America.
See Ps 104:14–15.