Marijuana Debate Smoking Again

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                                                                                         The Caribbean Is One Nation
                                                                                                             

Once again, the debate about decriminalizing marijuana in the Caribbean is raging high. Some leaders are coming around to the realization that those supporting such a call are rising in numbers. There is a belief that turning marijuana into a legal cash crop will be of benefit , to the region’s struggling small farmers- not so  screams the anti-marijuana lobby- they hold fast to their position that it will be disastrous to the region and increase drug use. As they see it, the weed, as it is popularly called, is an evil gateway drug, which if decriminalized or legalized, would turn us all into zombie like potheads.

As always, we are following America’s lead and promoting the weed as a medicinal drug that has already proven its worth in combating some ailments. The pro-weed lobby is convinced that if it is good for that purpose in America, we should have nothing to fear. After all, they argue, America would scarcely support a dangerous drug being used to combat its citizens’ health issues.

We support the decriminalization and legalization of the use of marijuana because we believe that it serves no purpose in having a drug so widely used, being the vehicle for crime and the decline of entire communities in the region. It is extremely difficult to police the crop and it is so versatile that it can be easily grown in homes undetected by law enforcement agencies. The decriminalization and legalization of the weed will automatically destroy the economic base of the drug lords and law enforcement agencies could use scarce resources to fight more serious crimes. We strongly posit that once marijuana becomes legal, there would be a substantial decrease in crime throughout the region.

The Rastafarian community maintains that it uses the drug for spiritual purposes. We support them in this regard and believe that the tenets of religious freedom should include that they be allowed to use the weed as they see fit. We have longed recognized, the weed’s ability to help in the treatment of some ailments. While we do   not condone the breaking of the law, we strongly believe that there is no empirical evidence to suggest that marijuana is more injurious to our bodies than the heavy use of alcohol which is perhaps one of the most serious social and health problems we have today.

We strongly suggest to regional governments, that the decriminalization and legalization of marijuana take place with great haste. They are long overdue.



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