BOSTON (WHDH) - Mayor Marty Walsh and Governor Charlie Baker spoke at the Deliverance Temple Worship Center in Dorchester on Tuesday to advocate against legalizing recreational marijuana in Massachusetts.

Cardinal Sean O’Malley, the Archbishop of Boston, joined the governor and mayor in denouncing recreational pot use.

Walsh said that if enough residents vote yes on question four next Tuesday, it will not matter what city officials or residents say when it comes to where marijuana shops are built.

Governor Baker also opposed recreational marijuana,  saying it is an unprecedented product. ” In terms of soda and drinks and food and desserts and all the rest, candies… we’ve never seen anything like that in the market we’re in right now,” Baker said.

The “Yes on 4” campaign released a statement supporting recreational marijuana on Tuesday.

This is not a marijuana issue, this is a social justice issue. Let’s legalize, tax and regulate marijuana so we can tackle the opioid epidemic and end mass incarceration. We must vote Yes on 4.

The legalization movement has already proven the measure for legal marijuana can win in the West.

Supporters believe “yes” votes in New England would encourage other East Coast states to move in the same direction and perhaps build momentum toward ending federal prohibitions on the drug.

(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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