term marijuana, but with the prefix ‘cannabis’, although used interchangeably. On occasion, the term ‘ganja’, which has religious and cultural significance in Jamaica, is used, where the context demands.
Work Informed by National Commissions, Organisations and the Public
1.7. The work of the Commission follows on and draws from several in-depth studies, reports and National Commissions on the subject of cannabis in the region over a period of many, many years. We consider that our Report is enhanced by the work of the many that have gone before. Consequently, any move toward law reform can hardly be described as ‘rushed’ or premature. Indeed, it is demonstrable that law reform has significantly lagged behind several medical, social and justice initiatives and findings, both globally and regionally. The time is therefore ripe for the law to be amended to keep abreast of these developments. 1.8. As a result of these studies, National Commissions and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), lobbyists, several calls have been made, persistently, for substantial law reform on the subject of cannabis/ marijuana. The consistent cry has been for the removal of prohibitions, including criminal sanctions. The work of the Jamaica Commission and the Belize Commission, for example, led to concrete law reform.3 In Guyana, a 2015 Commission of Inquiry on the prisons recommended that “no one should be jailed for possession of a small amount of marijuana for personal use. . . [and] that Guyanese authorities should avoid remanding what it called “low-level, non-violent” drug offenders and instead look at non-custodial sentences such as community service, treatment and educational opportunities.”4 1.9. Prominent bodies and persons from varied walks of life have also made public calls for either the full legalisation of cannabis, or its decriminalisation, too numerous to provide an exhaustive list. For example, church leaders in Antigua and Barbuda, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Belize, Members of Parliament, the Archbishop of Trinidad and Tobago, the Chief Justice, a former judge and an Independent Senator from Trinidad and Tobago. The latter are important since the Commission did not visit that country. 1.10. Some of these bodies and individuals also made oral or written submissions to the Commission. These were from a wide cross-section of Caribbean peoples and organisations. They include, for example, doctors, pharmacists, mental health practitioners, nurses, patients, young entrepreneurs, religious organisations, including Rastafarians, social workers, school principals, educators, community groups, NGOs, the Faculty of Medicine from the University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine Campus, magistrates, judges, senior members of the Bar Association of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the police etc. 1.11. Calls have also been made by the region’s researchers, scientists and scholars for a change in legal status to enable cannabis to be researched without fear or hindrance from prosecution, given its potential for development. 1.12. The public consultations, focus groups and submissions were vital elements in the work of the Commission and provide legitimacy to proposals for law reform and deep change across the region. There were many commonalities in the discourse across the region. Many persons had vital information and strong opinions about marijuana and its use, including strong lobbying for use for medical reasons from a group of persons living with disabilities and in wheelchairs.5 Just as many had important questions and wanted more information and education and look to the Commission’s Report to provide those answers. The large numbers that turned out for the Consultations and focus groups in several countries also catalysed interest in policy-makers, some of whom had been unaware of the seriousness and interest
See the Report of the Belize Decriminalisation of Marijuana Committee: http://druglawreform.info/images/stories/documents/DOMC-Report-Feb-202015.pdf. The Commission met with some of these National Commissions. For example, we were hosted by the National Commission on Marijuana of St Kitts & Nevis for the national consultations. The Commission also received a formal submission from an NGO based Commission in Saint Lucia. 4 Update – Report https://www.caribbeanintelligence.com/content/ci-shorts-slow-growth-legalised-ganga ‘Ci Shorts: The Slow Growth of Legalised Ganga (2018). 5 http://www.caribflame.com/2017/10/barbados-disabled-community-wants-medical-marijuana -use-legal/ 3
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