Numerous studies show that drug users commit far fewer crimes when undergoing outpatient drug therapy or even when the price of drugs drops. 6.22. The related violence that may be identified is attributable to the illegal trade itself, i.e. the growing, sale (local) and importation. That marijuana prohibition is viewed by law enforcement as being responsible for much of the drug related crimes within and across the region’s nation states is beyond dispute. This is viewed as such because, unlike other drugs where the region serves primarily as transhipment points, marijuana is a drug produced and consumed by many locals. This may lead to violence due to the special requirements to protect crops and turf164. The view was often expressed that had the region fully abolished marijuana prohibition our crime rates today would likely be half what they now are. 6.23. Police reports indicate that criminal gangs use the proceeds of drug trafficking (including marijuana) to purchase weapons, vehicles, homes and pay rank and file members of their organisations. The subculture of violence and the availability of guns have led to high incidences of gun-related homicides and shootings and raids drive the price up.165 This is particularly important as many Caribbean countries are plagued by “micro trafficking”, which is the dealing of small amounts of drugs by mainly young people in communities. While micro trafficking is not limited to marijuana, the proliferation of use of the substance renders it the most economically viable item. It is argued that this activity leads to the creation of “drug blocks” and the clear demarcation of “turf” by those persons who control these blocks. The income from blocks is significant and can include amounts exceeding $5000 USD per week.166 Therefore there is great incentive to protect these areas and this results in increased violence in communities. 6.24. Some analysts, while not disputing the end result of violence, maintain that the ‘turf wars’ are exaggerated and largely for crack, not for cannabis/ marijuana and that violence is often initiated by law enforcement: “There are rarely the “turf wars” that accompany the cocaine trade. The violence in the cannabis trade is linked to drug enforcement efforts. Rarely do the police report firearms found on cannabis plantations. Violence often accompanies the well-armed, militarised police eradication exercises . . . The level of violence that the police bring to cannabis enforcement exercises is disproportionate to the threat.”167 6.25. The Commission agrees that whatever the reason, prohibition promotes violence and further criminality. It concurs too with the views of law enforcement that legislation that tackles the purse-strings of these ‘dons’ and their gangs is a viable approach to return the authority and legitimacy of law enforcement. Notably, the Commission’s Economics Study illustrates that the removal of prohibition will reduce market price, making it less lucrative for cartels. It may also help to transform these neighbourhoods into free spaces where residents are not encumbered by the violent power of gang members.168 6.26. Many have compared marijuana, both the substance and the regime surrounding it, to alcohol, which was also a prohibited, illegal substance in years gone by. After the lifting of prohibition on alcohol in the 1930’s, the image of alcohol was sanitised and so was the serious criminality problem surrounding it, as exemplified by the Al Capone drug don legend. Anti-prohibitionists assert that there is an even greater case for removing prohibition for cannabis laws given that it is a less harmful substance than alcohol.
For example, those who cultivated had to protect field form persons who would want you steal at the time reaping. Also, once reaped and being prepared for marketing (for local use or export) there was the likelihood to be raided. The use of violence (including the use of guns) became a feature of the trade both in defense and to rob. 165 For example, the raiding of and destruction of marijuana /ganga fields as a feature of Jamaica’s war on drugs with support from the USA through an early 1970 project code name Project Buchanare, increased the risks associated with the trade. During this period, for example, Jamaica was a major exporter of marijuana /ganga to the USA, Canada and England with the “shower posse and yardies gangs” the major players. In support of the local supply market, Jamaica saw an increase in guns being shipped to local players as protection of the trade. Support for the drug fight in Jamaica is considered to have influenced the USA and England support in order to prevent the drug reaching their shores with its associated violence. 166 Data from OCIU/TTPS 2017 167 Marcus Day, Director of the Caribbean Drug and Alcohol Research Institute, Submission to the Commission, 24 May 2017. 168 Magnus Lofstrom and Steven Raphael: Journal of Economic Perspectives, ‘Crime, the Criminal Justice System, and Socioeconomic Inequality’— Volume 30, Number 2—Spring 2016—Pages 103–126- In major cities, at least one-fourth of the killings are systemic to the drug trade. The victims of internecine drug warfare are often innocent bystanders, even infants and school-children. 164
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