Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) has released the resolution by 600 churches representing six states:
Our United Methodist Book of Discipline charges us to seek restorative, not punitive, justice. Specifically, it states,
In the love of Christ, who came to save those who are lost and vulnerable, we urge the creation of a genuinely new system for the care and restoration of victims, offenders, criminal justice officials, and the community as a whole. Restorative justice grows out of biblical authority, which emphasizes a right relationship with God, self and community. When such relationships are violated or broken through crime, opportunities are created to make things right. (BOD PP164, H)
To that end, we offer the following resolution as an appeal to end the so-called “War on Drugs.”
It is the first resolution of its kind and LEAP says there are plans for more like it in the future. It should not be hard since our country's churches have first hand, day to day, experience with the war on drugs and its destruction.
Whereas: The primary mission of our criminal justice system is to prevent violence to our citizens and their property, and to ensure their safety, therefore;
Be it Resolved: That the New England Annual Conference supports seeking means other than prohibition to address the problem of substance abuse; and is further resolved to support the mission of the international educational organization Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) to reduce the multitude of unintended harmful consequences resulting from fighting the war on drugs and to lessen the incidence of death, disease, crime, and addiction by ending drug prohibition.
You can watch the United Methodist Church's Bill Mefford talk about finding out about the process of divesting the Church's interests in the War on Drugs below.
You can read more about the United Methodist Church's 2015 conference and what they voted on here.
Link to original article from Daily Kos
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