Hold hand on ganja arrests

CHAIRMAN of the youth arm of the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ), Angelo Hart, is making an appeal to the Government to declare a moratorium on arrests for small amounts of marijuana (cannabis). This, he said, will clear the backlog in the judicial system and save the State millions of taxpayers’ dollars.

“Do this instead of enforcing a law which, by and large, targets a crime without a victim.”

The MSJ youth arm addressed the media on Sunday, at its St Joseph, San Fernando office, on the issue of decriminalising small amounts of marijuana.

Hart said April is observed as the international month of cannabis and he expressed solidarity with members of the Rastafari community who have experienced discrimination at the hands of the State because of marijuana criminalisation.

In January, the Prime Minister announced that Government will introduce legislation in the Parliament in June with a view to decriminalising small amounts of marijuana for the general population.

However, at a consultation in January, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi was adamant that until there is a change in the legislation, citizens and police had an obligation to operate within the law.

“We find this to be completely absurd. How can the government continue to spend millions of taxpayers’ dollars on public consultations, listening as marijuana advocates painstakingly describe the dangers of criminalisation, only to boast that they are enforcing the very laws that the youth arm of the MSJ want to repeal?”

General secretary of All Mansions of Rastafari (AMOR), Glenroy Halls, also known as Bongo Grease, said as a stakeholder in the cannabis movement, they have been educating the public through seminars.

After he attended two consultations by the government, he said he is disappointed that Government has not yet formulated and implemented a temporary policy.

“All enforcement officers should have the directive to stop arresting persons for small amounts of marijuana until the law is being finalised,” he said.

A ten-point plan by AMOR was sent to the government outlining its position. One of the points dealt with decriminalising for medical purposes and cannabis grown at home for domestic purposes. “Citizens should be allowed to plant two or three trees for their own personal medical use.”

Cannabis, used as a medicine, he said, covers a wide spectrum of diseases. Halls called for an advanced education programme aimed at removing the stigma surrounding marijuana.