SPOTLIGHT: How to Prevent Illinois’ Collision With Legal Pot

Written by Benjamin Smith

Happy New Year and welcome to the first Spotlight podcast of 2019! For this edition of Spotlight we are revisiting highlights of an earlier episode featuring IFI’s own Monte Larrick and J.D. Mesnard, Regional Director with Alliance Defending Freedom’s Church Alliance. This interview took place in May 2018 at IFI’s fourth annual Worldview Conference. Mesnard begins the podcast by detailing the range of vital legal assistance the ADF Church Alliance provides to churches. The discussion turns to news of the planned launch of the Ministry Alliance, which will aid parachurch organizations, and continues with speculation on how future threats to religious liberty might manifest themselves.

In the second half of the podcast, Mesnard dons his cap as Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives to field questions regarding how his state was able to defeat a 2016 ballot initiative to legalize “recreational” marijuana by reaching out to and working with members of the business community, concerned parents and pro-family groups, and churches. Finally, Mesnard offers advice to both Illinois legislators who are eager to fully legalize marijuana use (in order to enhance the revenue stream) and also to families and churches who are rightly concerned about the dangers of unrestricted marijuana access.

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