Sherman Avenue United Methodist Church will host a community-wide roundtable discussion on the morality of marijuana laws on June 12.
“We’re not taking any particular point or side. We just want to discuss the morality of these laws,” Coordinator and Attorney Rev. David Hart said.
The conversation will begin around 6:00 p.m. and the event will be open to the public. State Representative Melissa Sargent, Madison Urban Ministry Executive Director Linda Ketcham, and community activists Caitlin McGahan, Dana Pellebon and Cynthia Hart will provide their insight throughout the discussion. Audience members will have an opportunity to ask questions and participate in the conversation.
“I think what you’ll hear in this roundtable discussion are powerful women and leaders who will talk about nationwide issues and local issues as well,” Hart said.
Hart encourages all members of the community to attend and engage in an open dialogue. He said this conversation will avoid the stigma of marijuana use and focus on the socio-political issues related to the legalization of the drug.
Under federal law, cannabis is treated like any other controlled substance including cocaine and heroin, however, laws concerning medicinal and recreational use vary by state. While marijuana is not legal at the federal level, states have a wide range of positions both from a social and political standpoint. In recent weeks, the Madison Police Department served a search warrant to the Rastafarian “church” in Madison following a drug investigation after reports of the establishment providing marijuana to residents as a sacrament in exchange for donations.
“We just want to talk about the laws as it relates to the criminal justice system,” Hart said.
Hart said over 54 percent of the people in prison in Dane County are Black people, disproportionate to the Black population in Dane County. He explained the history of the church’s involvement with the Civil Rights Movement and Women’s Rights. Hart said the church has been at the forefront of all social movements and discussions.
He said many of the convictions of Black people involve drugs such as marijuana which makes this a relevant socio-political issue to discuss. Hart said while social attitudes in Madison have shifted surrounding personal consumption, there is still a conversation about morals and equity to take place.
“If this is a moral issue, this is also a spiritual issue, a crisis,” Hart said.
Hart said the coordinators chose the topic after praying about it. After some discernment, they thought that this was an issue that deserved some attention, especially after recent news and referendums to legalize the drug.
Almost a million voters within 16 counties and two cities voted to end the ban on marijuana during a referendum in the last statewide election in November 2018. Illinois just unofficially joined 10 other states in legalizing marijuana for recreational use.
“I think there’s a movement away from criminalizing personal usage,” Hart said.
But attendees of the event at Sherman Avenue United Methodist Church will discuss what this means for those who have already been convicted on marijuana-related charges next Wednesday. The event will last until 7:15 p.m.
“This is a discussion we want everyone to have, it’s simply just for church folks,” Hart said.
