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UWI TODAY
– SUNDAY 14 OCTOBER, 2018
EU-CARICOM LAW CONFERENCE: MARIJUANA AND THE LAW PRESENTATION
“Law reformformarijuana
can no longer be ignored,”
says Prof Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, who believes
our current prohibitionist approach is “ineffective,
incongruous, obsolete and deeply unjust.” Speaking
at the recent EU-CARICOM Law Conference held at
the University Inn on September 26-27, she said the
European Union has “led the way in rethinking the
issue of marijuana, and more broadly, drug control.
Europe has provided the intellectual leadership and
the rest of the world is now following.”
In an interesting presentation (see her full speech
at UWI Today online), Prof Antoine said scientific
research, empirical data and Caribbean public opinion
all now support a serious overhaul of our outdated
laws on cannabis. Our current laws criminalise both
the plant and its users, and even patients taking the
drug for medical reasons such as pain relief. Current
laws also excessively and often unfairly punish small-
level, lower income users who have received longer jail
sentences than those meted out to people committing
more serious crimes.
WAITINGTOEXHALE:
It’s time to reformour ganja laws
We can learn a lot about enlightened cannabis policies from Europe,
says Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine at the recent EU Law conference.
By
ShereenAnnAli
Shereen Ann Ali
is a freelance writer, culture journalist and publications editor
Medical marijuana, like these state-authorised samples from
California, US, are legal for a variety of ailments in several countries,
but not in Trinidad and Tobago.
PHOTO: Courtesy Post and Courier
Prof Antoine recently completed a two-year
exercise as part of a team reviewing Caribbean
Community policies on cannabis. She was Chair of
the CARICOM Commission on Marijuana, which
submitted its report to CARICOMheads in July 2018.
The full findings of the downloadable report are online
(see Caricomwebsite, Report of the CaricomRegional
Commission on Marijuana).
Rather than treating cannabis use as a criminal
offence, it should be dealt with as a public health issue
and/or a human rights issue, said Prof Antoine. Just as
alcohol and tobacco are not deemed “dangerous drugs”
but are controlled substances which are legal and
regulated, so, too should cannabis be decriminalised
and regulated, she advocated.
Prof Antoine said medical evidence establishes
that cannabis is less harmful, or nomore harmful than
some other substances that are currently not prohibited
or criminalised under law, such as alcohol; several
studies have established this.
That’s not to say that cannabis has no harmful
effects. Prof Antoine said evidence shows it has
had negative effects on adolescent brains, affecting
memory, learning and attention, and may put some
youth at risk for early onset of psychosis. Therefore
Ganja farmer Junior Gordon fromWestmoreland, Jamaica
(at left) is reputed to grow some very high-grade marijuana, with THC content in excess of 23 per cent. That compares to the 9-13 THC content normally
found in Jamaican ganja. Gordon is a premier ganja grower in Jamaica. Here he talks with musician and herbalist Christopher “Birdheye” Gordon (at right) during a tour of Tender Buds Farm. In 2015, Jamaica
decriminalised small amounts of ganja for personal use, legalised medical ganja, and allowed folks to grow up to five ganja plants in their households. Rastafari adults can use it for sacramental purposes. Many farmers
and others are looking forward to increased ganja tourism.
PHOTO BY MARTEI KORLEY via LargeUp blog site (
/).
