Availability of cannabis should be limited by placing caps on retail density and hours of sale;
Environmental conservation and preservation must guide commercial marijuana activities;
Public Education programs should be prioritized;231
A data collection system to track processes and outcomes should be established;
Regular performance evaluations should be conducted to guide policy refinements.
Special Provisions to Regulate Cannabis/ Marijuana for Medical Purposes In the liberalised regime for cannabis/ marijuana, its availability as medicine should take into consideration the following; -
Access to Medical Marijuana should be made for qualifying conditions in which there is clear evidence of its therapeutic effects and for debilitating, life threatening conditions that are intractable to treatment in which there is evidence of possible benefits e.g. disastrous and intractable seizures in children;
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The smoking of Marijuana should be discouraged except in persons with terminal conditions in which benefits may outweigh the risks;
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Measures should be put in place to regulate the market to minimise diversion into the illegal market (e.g. Track and Trace System);
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Measures should be put in place to support public health education, prevention and treatment;
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Support for research to explore and confirm beneficial and harmful effects of Marijuana;
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Mechanisms to identify those who require treatment should be expanded.232
APPENDICES APPENDIX A LIST OF NATIONAL CONSULTATIONS OF THE CARICOM REGIONAL COMMISSION ON MARIJUANA
1.
National Consultation – CARICOM Regional Commission on Marijuana, St. Vincent and the Grenadines 14-15 June 2016
which enables sellers to differentiate their products according to THC content, a potency based tax addresses product strength directly. However, a potency-based tax has many disadvantages, especially the challenge of ensuring that product testing is reliable (Gravelle and Lowry 2014). 231 (Murphy and Carnevale (2015); Kim et al (2016) underscores the importance of point-of-sale education for visitors regarding the safe and appropriate use of marijuana products. Education for those that distribute cannabis to consumers should be considered (CMHAO (2017). Increased sensitization on the health impacts of Marijuana use. Sensitization education and prevention interventions for pregnant women; Robust and continued marijuana education tailored and targeted to children and youth in areas where it has been or will be decriminalized or legalized Cooley (2016). Implement parental education programs to encourage adults to keep recreational marijuana secure and monitor supply. These could be modeled after similar parental education programs for prescription drugs (Johnson et al. 2007). 232 One such avenue could be the Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) approach in primary health care facilities, hospital emergency rooms, and other settings. SBIRT is a comprehensive, integrated public health practice that provides early intervention and treatment in cases of substance abuse and for those at risk Murphy and Carnevale (2015).
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