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Guyana to draw from CARICOM on Marijuana

Jul 06, 2018 News

Cabinet is still gathering information before rolling out a comprehensive approach in response to wider calls for legalization of marijuana, at least in small quantities.
Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, told reporters yesterday that the Government’s decision will incorporate the final report on the CARICOM Commission on Marijuana which is part of the agenda at the ongoing Thirty-Ninth Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in Jamaica.
“That report will provide guidance to countries as to how they proceed. Here in Guyana, the issue is still a little complex,” Harmon stated.
Apart from the CARICOM report, the Government has done its own work through the Ministry of Public Health’s survey on the matter along with examining the sentencing guidelines on the possession of various sums of marijuana.
The pressure to change the law, which allows for automatic jail sentence for certain quantities of marijuana, was reignited in May when a 27-year-old farmer was jailed for three years by a city magistrate for just over eight grams of marijuana.
The Alliance For Change (AFC), which is a member of the Coalition Government continues to forge ahead with their position for non-custodial sentence for persons convicted of small amounts of marijuana.
AFC Member of Parliament, Michael Carrington, had tabled amendments to the Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Act since 2015, but it has not reached the state of a vote despite public support from the opposition.
For now, the official Government position is to appeal for more time.
“At this stage, we are still gathering information before we actually make decisions that are going to affect our Guyanese citizens in a long term basis,” Harmon stated.
Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, has explained that the delay in moving forward with the 2015 proposed amendments was due to studies undertaken by the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and CARICOM.
Other delays relate to the non-establishment of the Advisory Council and the Rehabilitation Fund for users who are processed by the court.

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