Marijuana and Mormons are in for a reckoning in Utah as voters decide whether medicinal pot should be legalized on a November ballot measure.
The Utah Medical Cannabis Act seeks to make it legal for people with qualifying illnesses to use marijuana as a medicinal aid.
More than 60 percent of the population in Utah identifies as Mormon and, according to a recent poll, two-thirds of the state's voters are in favor of the medical marijuana proposal, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.
This puts a large section of the Mormon community in support of the measure but the church openly expresses concerns about the medical marijuana campaign.
In a church statement, Mormon leaders said that the proposed bill raised "grave concerns about this initiative and the serious adverse consequences that could follow if it were adopted."
Leaders further noted that "the negative effects and consequences of marijuana use on individuals, families, and society at large are well-known."
Opponents of the act believe that it is a gateway to legalizing recreational pot in the state, The Los Angeles Times reported.
However, supporters believe it is a move of compassion and a necessary response to the state's mounting opioid epidemic.
Among those campaigning for the measure and gathering signatures to place it on the ballot is devout Mormon follower Brian Stoll.
In 2012 he fractured his back and began taking prescription opioids to deal with the pain but, afraid of addiction, he switched to pot, the Times reported.
He found it to be a much more effective tool in pain management but, with his wedding day looming, and with medical marijuana ruled illegal under Utah law, he was forced to give it up.
Church leaders told Stoll that the use of illegal substances was forbidden and he would not be able to marry his fiancé in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temple, so he switched back to opioids.
"I had to choose between my health and my fiancée," he told the Times. "It seemed asinine that if I lived in another state, I wouldn't have to make such a difficult decision."
Other Mormon followers have also spoken up in favor of the bill.
"We’re talking about medical marijuana, which science time and again has shown to have benefits for people in pain and suffering," said DJ Schanz, a Mormon and the director of the campaign supporting the measure, according to the Times.
"People are being prescribed pills but can’t use something natural."
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.