es. The case of ThomasCrook helped invoke soceity’s perpetual misunderstanding of the use of marijuana. Crook was the victim of a heinous murder. Allegedly, the killer committed the crime dueto being under the influence of marijuana. The fact that the killer suffered fromschizophrenia was not publicized (Nahas 180-190) and marijuana was ostracized as themain cause of murder. Victor Licata, while under the influence of marijuana, murderedhis mother, father, sister, and two brothers with an axe while they were asleep. Ultimately, marijuana was linked with the axe murders. In short, the public began toconnect marijuana usage with crimes of violence, although no direct connections wereever proved.It is clear that the number of Americans with access to facts about the medicaluses of cannabis has grown greatly. The passage of legislation allowing some restrictedand legal use of cannabis as a medicine ineight states is a striking politicalmanifestation of this growing interest. The state laws have led to a battle with federalauthorities who have referred to the concept of medical marijuana as a hoax, “anapparent subterfuge by which proponents of a more liberal policy toward this drug willsucceed in undoing the long-standing, harsh prohibition (Randall and O’Leary 349).” The parochialism of this view is highlighted by ethno-historical studies, which documentthe ancient usage of this substance as a medicine. For example, JamaicanRastafarians and the Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church claim that marijuana brings one to anew level of understanding (“Marijuana and the Bible”).To add to the confusion for Catholics, the Catholic Church has not publicized aspecific response to this controversy. However, evidence itself provides severaldifferent perspectives from Catholic voices around the world. For example, in 1999, aleading Scottish bishop called for the legalization of cannabis and its narcotic products,includ...
