Rowley: Marijuana debate for parliament

PRIME Minister Dr Keith Rowley said the issue of people being jailed for marijuana cigarettes and the Caribbean Court of Justice will be brought to Parliament next year.

“We in this country have a problem. Our jails are full of young people, largely young men, because they smoked a marijuana cigarette.”

He was speaking last night as his slate for the September 30 People’s National Movement internal elections was presented at the Diego Martin Community Centre.

He said many young men held for marijuana cigarettes cannot make bail and are jailed. He added they have to commit crimes to pay their lawyers. “And many of the lawyers collect the money in cash knowing very well where the money came from. And there are very many people in this country who had guns put to their heads and had their cash taken away because somebody had to pay their lawyer who will collect the cash in a brown bag and don’t blink and possibly smoking marijuana too.”

Rowley said he did not believe there were no deleterious effects from smoking marijuana but the legislation had created another problem. He described it as a matter of social justice that needed to be addressed and he was in discussions with the Attorney General and the matter will be looked at in 2018. Rowley also said that in 2018 he will be asking parliamentarians to have a free vote on the Caribbean Court of Justice as the country’s final court of appeal. He said that, while he has no idea how the vote will go, every PNM member will vote in favour of the change. He referenced the Privy Council deciding the appeal by Fishermen and Friends of the Sea against the granting of a Certificate of Environmental Clearance for the construction of a 5000-metre highway in the Sangre Grande area expressing concern construction would endanger the nearby Aripo Savannas. “It take the white man and the English man to tell us go and build your road.”