by Linda Straker
- Idea is for people to not have a criminal record for small portions
- Mass cultivation for industrial purposes is a larger and more difficult discussion
- Intention for Rastafarian community to use cannabis for religious purposes
Grenada will not be focusing on the cultivation of cannabis as part of its approach to allow the use of the herb, but instead will adopt a strategy where the first step will be the decriminalisation of cannabis for personal and religious use.
“The first step is not going to be for mass production. The first step is going to deal with the criminal justice issue. Meaning there are many young people who have been criminalised or have received criminal records because of possession of small quantities. We are going to have a national discussion on small quantities,” Agriculture Minister Peter David disclosed. “Proposals will come before several stakeholder organisations within the next couple of weeks. We are going to discuss what has been done throughout the region which is the decriminalisation of small quantities of cannabis.”
David is one of the 3 cabinet members tasked to recommend the best strategy Grenada should adopt to either legalise or decriminalise cannabis. David said that the idea is for people to not have a criminal record for small portions. “Meaning that you will not have a criminal record if you have small amounts, and you will be able to plant a few trees maybe 2, 3, 4. I am not sure what the final outcome will be,” he said.
With regards to use among the Rastafarian community, the intention is that cannabis will be allowed to be used as part of the sacrament. “Another area that will be decriminalised is the use of it by the Rastafarian community. The discussion is that they be allowed to use it for sacramental purposes,” he assured.
David said that mass cultivation of cannabis for industrial purposes is a larger and more difficult discussion. “It’s not as simple as you make it sound,” said the former Foreign Affairs Minister who is an attorney by profession.
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If either CBD or marijuana is legalised for commercial purposes, Grenada should consider banning imports for a time. Give Grenadian growers/producers some years to establish a local market first before allowing cheaper imports to flood the market.
Finally Grenada is moving with the times and the well known risk rewards benefits of Marijuna. A bit late but welcome to the party Grenada. A fertile country like Grenada that should have been growing medical Marijuana and exporting it for years, have instead seen politician wasting taxpayers and police resources harassing, and criminalising its people. Canada, USA and Europe have been cashing in on Medical Marijuana for years. A bit late waking up Grenada politicians and public servants….but about bloody time.
Legalize it, license growers and shops that sell, tax it and pay of Grenada national debt. (which is probably owed to China…)
Yes. Them we can spend and develop greenz from our own pocket
I am glad to see the slow but eventual recognition that a low level use or ownership is not a reason to criminalise. I hope there will be some recognition that young people should still not be partaking, rather like young people should not be allowed to smoke tobacco. Tobacco is one issue, where use and early adoption will increase your health risks exponentially, but with respect to Cannabis, the young should actively be discouraged from using it, as an adolescent brain is in transformation, and as we know from many a foolish act or decision, the adolescent often makes irration decisions simply because their brain is changing it’s wiring towards adulthood. Anything that will affect the normal rewiring of the brain should be avoided at that critical stage. However an area I am not seeing mentioned is the use of CVD oils which come from Hemp, which although from the same family, are not the same as cannabis, and for the most part are viewed as being both safe, and very helpful in a medical, or even self prescribed way to ease pain, and relieve stress. There is either none, or vertually no halluciagenic in the oil, yet it is banned for import, simply because it is listed as a canabanoid. Yet you can go to the supermarket, and get crushed hemp seed, and hemp hair products. It is bizarre that you can import hemp…. and yet you can’t.
I hope the legislature can think outside the box, and not just deal with straight cannabis.
CBD oil.