KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, Sept. 15, 2014, CNS – Two months after it was announced that Caricom would establish a committee to look into the use of marijuana for medical purposes, the committee is yet to be formed.
“We are still to have the committee established and therefore there has been no report yet in terms of whether it is something that is considered a viable option for the countries of the Caribbean,” St. Vincent and the Grenadines Ambassador to Caricom and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Ellsworth John told Caribbean News Service (CNS).
This country’s Prime Minister, Ralph Gonsalves, who was key in getting the issue on the agenda during his chairmanship of Caricom, expects the Commission to study reforms taking place around the world on marijuana policy, including Jamaica, the United States, Sweden and Uruguay.
Puerto Rico is currently debating easing marijuana possession penalties, legalising medical marijuana and allowing cultivation of medical-grade marijuana.
Marijuana has been decriminalised and considered taboo in other parts of the Western Hemisphere. Lawmakers in Puerto Rico have filed legislation over the past year that would allow medical marijuana and decrease penalties for possession of small amounts.
Uruguay recently became the first country to approve nationwide pot legalisation, while the US states of Washington and Colorado passed recreational laws in 2012. In addition, 20 US states and the District of Columbia already have medical marijuana laws.
Activists in Jamaica, St. Lucia and other islands have pushed to legalise marijuana use, with Jamaica’s Health Minister recently stating he was “fully on board” with medical marijuana. However, many in the Caribbean still consider it a dangerous drug and marijuana possession can lead to jail time and stiff fines across the Region.
A recent preliminary report from Caricom found that decriminalising medical marijuana could help boost the Region’s economy.
CNS/ml/2014
