PM gets marijuana petition

THE Prime Minister has promised to meet with representatives of the Caribbean Collective for Justice (CCFJ) on its petition which calls for the decriminalising of marijuana in TT. Dr Rowley gave this commitment to group leader Nazma Muller when she gave him a copy of the petition before he entered Tower D of the Port of Spain International Waterfront Centre, prior to a sitting of the House of Representatives there.

Muller told Newsday the PM said he will invite her to meet with him and Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi “to discuss the issue and see how we move forward.” She was optimistic that arrangements for the meeting would be made expeditiously after yesterday’s sitting. The PM previously indicated that decriminalising marijuana was not one of Government’s priorities at this time.

Asked if the PM’s invitation to meet with her and representatives of the group signalled a shift in his thinking, Muller replied, “Absolutely. The people coming out and the fact that he has a petition with more than 10,000 signatures means that he’s aware that the people’s voice does matter and he’s now willing to listen.” She also disclosed a copy of the petition was sent to the Office of the President earlier in the day.

Muller also said copies of the petition would be given to MPs as they arrived for yesterday’s sitting. Amongst those receiving copies were Al-Rawi, National Security Minister Edmund Dillon, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young, Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal, Caroni East MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh and Princes Town MP Barry Padarath.

Muller added the group hopes the PM “will have the compassion and the reason to move forward in a positive way” on this issue. Last week, Prof Rose-Marie Belle Antoine hoped the PM would study the contents of the regional commission on marijuana’s report in detail. Antoine was the chairman of that commission.