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0000017c-db5f-dc30-a1fe-df5fc5090000RadioWest and KUER News have been covering the debate around medical marijuana in Utah. We've spoken with journalists and researchers as well as proponents and opponents to Utah's Proposition 2. Stay tuned for more conversations as you prepare to vote in November.

The LDS Church And The Politics Of Medical Cannabis In Utah

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Church Office Building and the Utah State Capitol
Mark Goebel via CC/Flickr https://bit.ly/2GauqOB

Monday, we’re talking about what role the LDS Church played in the shaping of Utah’s medical cannabis law.  Some say the Church got too involved in the recent political debate. What's appropriate when religious officials weigh in on politics?

RadioWest divider.

Voters last month approved a proposition that made Utah one of the latest states to legalize medical cannabis. The LDS Church was an outspoken opponent of the initiative, but then became actively involved in crafting the compromise legislation that lawmakers passed last week. Monday, we’re looking at what role the Church had in the political process. Both of our guests say it was pretty complete. So was that influence, legal, or democratic, or proper?

GUESTS

  • Quin Monson is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Brigham Young University, and a senior scholar for the BYU Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy. With David Campbell, he's the author of Seeking the Promised Land: Mormons and American Politics [Indiebound|Amazon]
  • Stephen Urquhart served in the Utah State Legislature for 16 years. He’s currently the global ambassador for the University of Utah.

Doug Fabrizio has been reporting for KUER News since 1987, and became News Director in 1993. In 2001, he became host and executive producer of KUER's RadioWest, a one hour conversation/call-in show on KUER 90.1 in Salt Lake City. He has gained a reputation for his thoughtful style. He has interviewed everyone from Isabel Allende to the Dalai Lama, and from Madeleine Albright to Desmond Tutu. His interview skills landed him a spot as a guest host of the national NPR program, "Talk of the Nation." He has won numerous awards for his reporting and for his work with RadioWest and KUED's Utah NOW from such organizations as the Society of Professional Journalists, the Utah Broadcasters Association, the Public Radio News Directors Association and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
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