Churches express concern at ganja consultation

Pastor Keith Ramdass speaks at the final public consultation on the decriminalisation of marijuana at the Chaguanas Borough Corporation Administrative Building on Wednesday evening.
Pastor Keith Ramdass speaks at the final public consultation on the decriminalisation of marijuana at the Chaguanas Borough Corporation Administrative Building on Wednesday evening.

THEIR voices may not have been prominent at previous consultations but several church leaders have questioned the “haste” with which government seems to be proceeding regarding the decriminalisation of marijuana.

This was the view of Bishops Maurice Jones and Keith Ramdass, who both spoke at the sixth and final public consultation on the decriminalisation of marijuana at the Chaguanas Borough Corporation Administrative Building, Chaguanas, on Wednesday evening.

Addressing the small audience, Jones, who is the national overseer of Church of God of Prophecy (TT), said he is “extremely concerned” about the haste and the “sense of certainty” that marijuana would be decriminalised which seemed to pervade the consultations.

“It sounds like a fait accompli. It seems like there is an ungodly haste to have this decriminalised, and I am wondering where we stop, because some would want it legalised, and not just decriminalised.”His remark drew jeers from some members of the public, who chided him for his choice of words.

Minister in the Ministry of the Attorney General Fitzgerald Hinds later remarked that for some people the time was “late” and cited those who had been denied employment and other opportunities because they had been held with a small quantity of marijuana.Ramdass, who is pastor of the Redemption Worship Centre, questioned the statement that “a lot of people” in TT used marijuana, saying this is an ambiguous statement.

He also questioned whether government was using the decriminalisation of marijuana as a revenue-raising measure, and asked who would benefit the most from its decriminalisation.He also cited the Legalisation of Marijuana in Colorado: The Impact Volume 5 – 2018 report which seemed to indicate that traffic fatalities had increased in that US state since its legalisation.

However, panellist and research scientist Marcus Ramkissoon said that report, along with others, had been taken into consideration for the drafting of the panel’s report.At one point a ministry employee had to take the microphone and remind the audience to be respectful to each other and the panellists while addressing their concerns.

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