Pope Francis comes out swinging against legal weed

Pope Francis may be praised for his liberal — at least for the Church — policies, but there's one issue he's taken a firm, conservative stance on: legalizing drugs.

At a drug enforcement conference in Rome this morning, Pope Francis said that recreational drugs such as marijuana "are not only highly questionable from a legislative standpoint, but they fail to produce the desired effects."

While Francis may see drug use as an evil, he's still loving toward addicts: The Associated Press reports that as archbishop of Buenos Aires, he "devoted much of his pastoral care" to their recovery.

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In true Pope Francis fashion, though, he used the platform as an opportunity to address social inequality. If we say "yes" to better education and greater job opportunities, said Francis, "there will be no room for illicit drugs."