California Center for Cooperative Development

For Fiscal Year 2014-2015, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development provided a $50,000 grant to the California Center for Cooperative Development (CCCD) through the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, California.

Summary of Problems

• CCCD promotes the legalization of marijuana, and is facilitating the production of marijuana
• CCCD’s executive director funded a campaign for same-sex marriage

Page 2 of the CCHD’s grants list for 2014-2015 identifies the California Center for Cooperative Development (CCCD) as having a received a $50,000 grant.  The problems identified with this organization lie both in the ideology of the executive leadership of the organization and the actions of the organization itself.

The CCCD posted an article on facebook about growing “medical” marijuana, and stated ” If someone knows a medical marijuana ‘collective’ or ‘cooperative’, that distributes the cooperative’s profits to their members, we want to meet you.”

That it was actively seeking cooperatives that grow medical marijuana isn’t a surprise.  In 2010, CCCD’s annual report states that it was actually helping people set up cooperatives to grow marijuana.

In addition to helping increase the problem of recreational drug use in this country by assisting in the growing of “medical” marijuana, the executive leader of CCCD actually helped fund the same-sex “marriage” agenda in California, in direct opposition to the Catholic bishops, most particularly, the Archbishop of Los Angeles, under whose auspices CCCD received its’ $50,000 grant.

The executive director of CCCD is E. Kim Coontz.

E. Kim Coontz donated $100 to oppose a state-wide ban on same-sex “marriage.”

Conclusion

The push to legalize “medical” marijuana has never been about medicine, but about making it easier for suppliers and users to engage in recreational drug use.  There is no excuse for a Catholic agency to be funding an organization that is actively assisting in the establishment of coops that grow marijuana.  Add to this the fact that the executive director actively funds the establishment is same-sex “marriage,” and it’s clear that the CCHD needs to immediately and vocally defund the California Center for Cooperative Development.