Vatican City, Jun 20, 2014 / 08:37 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In a message for an international conference on enforcing drug laws, Pope Francis denounced the trend of offering addicts narcotics as a substitute for hard drugs, stating that it only worsens the problem.

“Let me state this in the clearest terms possible: the problem of drug use is not solved with drugs! Drug addiction is an evil, and with evil there can be no yielding or compromise” the Pope declared in his June 20 message to the conference participants.