Latest update February 8th, 2025 5:56 AM
Latest News
- Soaring gold price entices Canadian company to renew permits in Guyana
- Terrence Campbell accuses Govt. of weaponizing Police Force after calls for accountability with oil revenues
- China slams US as Panama quits Belt and Road Initiative
- Guyana extradites fugitive to Canada
- AFC Leader Nigel Hughes welcomes any investigation into lands he acquired
Only lawyers benefit from custodial sentences for small amounts of ganja – AFC MP Carrington
AFC MP, Michael Carrington
The Alliance For Change (AFC) yesterday continued to forge ahead with their position for non-custodial sentence for persons convicted of small amounts of marijuana.
AFC Member of Parliament, Michael Carrington, who tabled amendments to the Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Act since 2015, told reporters at a press conference that it makes economic sense for the state to move towards rehabilitation.
“The only persons benefiting from those people going to prison are the lawyers. The lawyers make endless money, from $100,000 to $500,000. The State loses terribly. The State loses in terms of spending a lot of money to keep them inside the prison,” Carrington stated.
Carrington explained that the family also loses when someone is imprisoned for a small quantity of marijuana.
“I basically do not believe that you should be jailing a person for just 8 grams which might cost $1600 and then spend $1 million to take care of them for three years,” Carrington explained.
He stated that there should be a system in place where persons pay a fine and the State can use the monies gained to invest in educational programmes to prevent persons from smoking.
Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, who has responsibility for prisons, pointed to the Patterson Report on the Camp Street Prison which showed that inmates were becoming hardened smokers.
In recent weeks, inmates posted a photo to Facebook that showed a Mother’s Day party behind bars with marijuana and alcohol.
“The truth is out that even when they’re not smoking it outside; they go inside there [the jail] and have parties with the marijuana and the contraband,” Ramjattan stated.
He added, “I believe there is collusion with some of the prison warders who are making money out of the thing, so when you feel that you have imprisoned them and you are going to stop their bad habits they’re probably carrying more in there and that is dangerous for the prison itself.”
The pressure to change the law that allows for automatic jail sentence for certain quantities of marijuana was reignited when a 27-year-old farmer was jailed for three years by a city magistrate for just over 8 grams of marijuana.
Ramjattan explained that one of the reasons for the delay in moving forward with the 2015 proposed amendments was due to studies undertaken by the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
He indicated that the Bill before the National Assembly was stalled to allow for the release of the findings from the report as Government wanted evidence-based policy decision.
Other delays relate to the non-establishment of the Advisory Council and the Rehabilitation Fund.
Despite the AFC’s position on the issue, the Government’s official position is that the law is the law.
Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has indicated that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) would allow for a conscience vote.
Carrington said while he is glad for the support, the PPP/C had the opportunity to reform the laws, but did not do so during their 23 years in Government.
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
Due diligence on investments must become a priority
Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News- In 1985, the Forbes Burnham government looking for economic salvation, entered into a memorandum... more
OAS Secretary General Election and renewed OAS Consensus
Antiguan Barbudan Ambassador to the United States, Sir Ronald Sanders By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News- The upcoming election... more
Weekend Cartoon
