<ul class="summary-list"><li>A Catholic diocese in <keyword id="163030" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="new-mexico">New Mexico</keyword> has decided to reopen its doors, flouting a statewide closure of all non-essential organizations. </li><li>A spokesperson for the <keyword id="9071094" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="catholic-diocese-of-las-cruces">Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces</keyword> told Business Insider it is offering an essential service: hope.</li><li>"Any kind of gathering puts everyone's health at risk," Nora Sackett, a spokeswoman for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/16/us/las-cruces-diocese-mass-open/index.html">told CNN</a>.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>On Wednesday, a Catholic diocese in New Mexico announced it will open its doors for Sunday Mass on April 19. The Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces, which has 92 parishes, could be the first in the country to do so.Lockdowns are in effect <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-map-stay-at-home-orders-lockdowns-2020-3">across 42 states</a> — including New Mexico, which <a href="https://cv.nmhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/SignedPHO03-24-2019.pdf">issued a stay-at-home order</a> on March 24 for all non-essential businesses and non-profits.But the diocese plans to hold services anyway."The church offers the essential good of hope," Christopher Velasquez, director of communications, told Business Insider. And it wants "to provide that essential hope to people during these difficult times and also be able to still provide them with the sacraments.""For us, the church is essential," Velasquez said, adding that the diocese would follow state and federal mandates "to the T."But the state's order has shuttered organizations that are not essential for public health, and it does not include religious organizations as among the essential."While we appreciate that the diocese stipulates that they will abide by the necessary public health emergency order banning mass gatherings, it is concerning that they would be 're-opening' at all when New Mexico continues to face the <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid-19">Covid-19</keyword> pandemic head on," Nora Sackett, a spokeswoman for Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/16/us/las-cruces-diocese-mass-open/index.html">told CNN, which first reported the diocese's intentions to reopen</a>."Any kind of gatherings that are not absolutely essential to one's health or welfare are strongly discouraged," Sackett said. "New Mexicans and all houses of worship are encouraged to continue to worship at home and broadcast services remotely. Any kind of gathering puts everyone's health at risk."The church says it will follow part of the mandate, which bans gatherings of more than five people. The in-person Masses will include no more than five worshippers, Velasquez said.The diocese is encouraging such people to wear masks or face coverings, but it is not requiring them. After each service, staff members will disinfect the pews and other surface areas.The diocese will stream its services online, encouraging "at-risk" people to pray at home.Even so, Velasquez said the opportunity to pray in person is crucial for "those who feel the longing and that spiritual need to actually go into a physical mass and experience mass in terms of the Eucharist and physically being there."Comparing virtual Mass to a livestreamed party or celebration, Velasquez said, "it's significantly different than experiencing it in person."Read the original article on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/catholic-diocese-to-hold-mass-during-statewide-lockdown-2020-4">Business Insider</a>

A Catholic diocese in New Mexico plans to hold Mass despite the statewide lockdown

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57ac9836db5ce954008b616d-2400/rtx1sy8l.jpg" alt="marijuanan cannabis" data-mce-source="REUTERS/Mark Blinch" data-mce-caption="Activist Ray Turmel holds a bag of medical marijuana while he smokes a marijuana cigarette, as he calls for the total legalization of marijuana, outside the building where the federal election Munk Debate on Canada's Foreign Policy is being held in Toronto, Canada, September 28, 2015." />REUTERS/Mark BlinchWhile November 8 could be a watershed moment for marijuana, there's some big money fighting legalization.</div></div></div>Election Day could be a watershed moment for marijuana. Five states, including Arizona, California, Nevada, Maine, and Massachusetts, will be voting to legalize recreational marijuana on November 8.According to the latest poll, Americans <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-support-for-legalizing-marijuana-is-at-an-all-time-high-2016-10">overwhelmingly favor legalization</a>.However, there's still some serious opposition to legal marijuana. And the funding is coming from a number of pharmaceutical companies, prison suppliers, and casino magnates."It's obvious that a growing majority of Americans support legalization, and the only way they have a hope of maintaining prohibition is to put up a bunch of Reefer Madness-inspired ads in an attempt to scare voters, which costs a lot of money," <a href="http://www.marijuana.com/blog/news/2016/10/prison-food-company-funds-legal-marijuana-opposition/">Tom Angell of the pro-legalization group Marijuana Majority</a> told Business Insider. "But it won't work."Insys Therapeutics, an Arizona-based pharmaceutical company, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/insys-therapeutics-inc-against-weed-legalization-2016-9">gave $500,000 to </a><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/insys-therapeutics-inc-against-weed-legalization-2016-9">Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy</a>, one of the most prominent anti-marijuana groups in the state. Insys recently developed Dronabinol, a synthetic cannabinoid compound intended to reduce the nausea associated with chemotherapy. While Dronabinol was <a href="http://www.centerwatch.com/drug-information/fda-approved-drugs/">recently approved</a> by the FDA, Insys said in a recent SEC filing that marijuana legalization could "significantly limit the commercial success of any dronabinol product." "If marijuana or non-synthetic cannabinoids were legalized in the United States, the market for dronabinol product sales would likely be significantly reduced and our ability to generate revenue and our business prospects would be materially adversely affected," the filing said. Insys isn't alone, either.Food Services Group of America, a subsidiary of the conglomerate Services Group America, gave $80,000 to in September to Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy, according to Angell, who discovered the donation in SEC filings. <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/581cc25a46e27a18048b4b43-768/screen-shot-2016-10-10-at-11.20.10-pm-768x134.png" alt="Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy SEC" data-mce-source="Tom Angell" />Tom Angell</div></div></div>Companies like the Food Services Group of America, which caters meals to correctional facilities, as well as hospitals and schools, have a lot to gain from keeping marijuana illegal, according to Angell. Marijuana offenses contribute considerably to the number of prisoners in correctional facilities. Though its not clear what portion of the company's business involves prisons in Arizona, it's clear that more prisoners means more meals provided by Food Services Group - meals that have been criticized for being <a href="https://www.themarshallproject.org/2015/07/07/what-s-in-a-prison-meal#.2lxIOdivB">notoriously low-calorie and nutrient-deficient</a>. Even in California, which has relaxed marijuana laws, thousands of people are still incarcerated for low-level marijuana offenses, according to a report from the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) based on data analyzed by New Frontier, a market-research firm. The report was provided to Business Insider and <a href="https://frontierfinancials.com/CAJails/">published on New Frontier's website</a>. In 2015, an estimated 2,139 people were jailed for marijuana offenses in California and another 4,389 people were jailed for "Marijuana Plus" offenses - where low-level marijuana crimes were included in the sentence. That's a total of 6,537 jailed for marijuana in 2015, according to the DPA. Those numbers are actually a decline since 2011 - when possession of personal amounts of marijuana was reduced by California from a misdemeanor to an infraction. "Accepting these contributions from companies with such naked self-interest shows just how desperate our opposition is becoming," Angell said.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/581cc55946e27a1b008b4bfb-641/screen-shot-2016-11-02-at-3.53.11-pm.png" alt="Drug policy alliance" data-mce-source="Drug Policy Alliance" />Drug Policy Alliance</div></div></div>While California is likely to pass marijuana legalization, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/marijuana-states-legalize-recreational-weed-2016-9">polls show a much tigher split in Arizona</a>. This may explain why Food Services Group is targeting its anti-legalization funding efforts in Arizona, despite California's continuing pattern of incarcerating people for low-level marijuana crimes. In Arizona, posession of a personal amount of marijuana - defined as less than two pounds - is <a href="http://norml.org/laws/item/arizona-penalties">a felony charge</a> subject to four months to two years of jail time. Meanwhile, Las Vegas casino magnate and prominent Donald Trump donor Sheldon Adelson has kicked $2 million of his own money to the anti-legalization effort in Nevada, reports <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/10/26/a-casino-magnate-is-spending-millions-to-fight-legal-marijuana-in-three-states/">The Washington Post's Christopher Ingraham</a>. Adelson's opposition to marijuana may be because of his business interests, according to Mason Tvert, the director of communications for the pro-legalization group Marijuana Policy Project."If you like drinking alcohol and playing blackjack at the casino, Mr. Adelson wants you to be his guest," Tvert told Ingraham. "If you prefer to consume marijuana while playing video games in the privacy of your home, Mr. Adelson wants you to be in jail."Adelson has also contributed $500,000 to fight marijuana legalization in Arizona. In Massachusetts, the alcohol industry has chipped in to defeat legalization measures. The Beer Distributors of Massachusetts and the Wine &amp; Spirits Wholesalers of Massachusetts, two trade associations, have contributed $75,000 to the Campaign for a Safe and Healthy Massachusetts, an anti-legalization group, <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2016/10/18/why-booze-business-against-legal-pot-massachusetts/MQIIc2IdH5xVnd3gW7cDsN/story.html">reports The Boston Globe</a>. Alcohol vendors likely fear that marijuana will hurt their business, but there's scant evidence to support that claim. The alcohol industry in Colorado has actually grown since marijuana was legalized for recreational use, according to <a href="https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/sites/default/files/Liquor%20Excise%20Tax%200515.pdf">2015 tax records</a>. Some opposition to marijuana legalization in Massachusetts is coming from healthcare providers as well. "Proponents of legalizing recreational marijuana use argue that it will save lives by giving people an alternative to opioids for pain relief," Kurt Isaacson, the CEO of Spectrum Health Systems, a for-profit addiction clinic with locations in New England wrote in <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2016/11/02/recreational-marijuana-public-health/">Stat News</a>. "What they don't consider is the detrimental impact of recreational marijuana on youths."<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57b2144e8a45650f54636d55-1697/istock_75085943_medium.jpg" alt="Man Rolling a Marijuana joint" data-mce-source="Istock" />IstockThis could a be a lot more legal after November 8.</div></div></div>The anti-legalization fight in Maine is being led by Mainers Protecting Our Youth and Communities, a political action committee with <a href="http://www.notonmymainestreet.com/whos-with-us.html">funding from a diverse group</a> of <keyword id="6355470" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Law">law</keyword> enforcement unions, the Roman Catholic diocese in Portland, and the office of the Governor Paul Lepage.Maine's pro-legalization PAC, Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, has vastly outspent anti-legalization efforts however, reports <a href="http://www.pressherald.com/2016/10/06/marijuana-legalization-backers-dramatically-outspend-opponents/">The Portland Press Herald</a>. The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol raised $904,145, according to a finance report filed to the state ethics commission, compared to $50,000 over the same time period for the anti-legalization side, reports The Press Herald. Voters in Maine are favorable to legalizing marijuana, with <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/marijuana-states-legalize-recreational-weed-2016-9/#2-maine-2">recent polls showing between 50 and 55% support</a> for legalization. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-unhealthy-diet-exercise-politics-2016-10">Everything we know about Donald Trump's unhealthy diet</a></h3> <div> <div> <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="dqeTNtNjE6LhOTMusLmcnl5XfnVrBKkb" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> <script> if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; } RunFunctions.push(function() { var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'dqeTNtNjE6LhOTMusLmcnl5XfnVrBKkb',{ autoplay: 'false' }); }); </script> <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div> </div> <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script> </div>

You Searched For "catholic diocese of las cruces" and got 2 results

A Catholic diocese in New Mexico plans to hold Mass despite the statewide lockdown

Isaac Scher

There's a shady alliance fighting to keep marijuana illegal

Jeremy Berke