During a United Workers Party public rally last Sunday, Commerce Minister Bradley Felix, the government’s point man on cannabis, addressed the burning issue of marijuana. The minister told the Soufriere crowd that in 2019 “we can no longer arrest a man for a joint” and bemoaned, “You’re arresting a man for a flower; a bud; for grass.”
Felix appealed to the gathering to be patient, and assured them that these matters will be addressed. He also reminded them that government could not rush this brush; it demanded proper handling. He promised that in the coming months there will be national consultation that will bring together the police, ministry of health personnel and the education system. He said people had, for many years, been pulled in different directions on the issue and useful change seldom happened overnight. Some had great difficulty getting in step with the changes being made elsewhere.
Bradley’s comments came on the heels of his attendance at the Canadian Cannabis Summit, from May 30 to June 1. Also present in Canada were officials in the cannabis industry who provided insight into the growing market. On Tuesday, he told the STAR: “From Invest Saint Lucia’s standpoint, we’ve had several potential investors, from Canada in particular. They are interested in setting up some sort of plant in Saint Lucia to promote the pharmaceutical part of cannabis.”
At the summit, speakers addressed the legislative changes in Canada, the pharmaceutical standpoint and growing of the plant itself. “It was three days of learning quite a bit about the industry. Also some potential investors approached us,” said Felix. “Right now, in my constituency in particular, a lot of the young men want to go and work on the Canadian farms but cannot because they have police records. You’re spoiling the whole future of young persons,” stated Felix.
He said government’s intention is to first look at a moratorium. Before any legislation comes to parliament there must be “significant national consultation”. He gave no timelines but said government is moving aggressively and it will be “sooner rather than later”.
The Cannabis Movement has continued its call for the government to act more quickly. In March the Movement’s chairman, Mr. Andre De Caires, told the STAR he had been informed that a potential investor went to St. Vincent because this country’s government was dragging its feet. This week the Movement stated that more investments had been lost, this time to Barbados. “To our knowledge,” said a Movement release, “there are several other similar project proposals sitting on the Prime Minister’s desk waiting for approval. We encourage him to step in at this crucial time and make the required decisions.”
The Movement recommended the following steps be taken as soon as possible: the announcement of a moratorium on incarceration; an amnesty for individual inmates incarcerated for cannabis offences; removal of hemp from the Misuse of Drugs Act; the expunging of cannabis crimes from criminal records; reschedule cannabis from a Schedule 2 Class A substance to a Schedule 2 Class C substance; the rolling out of the national educational programme and providing a national address on cannabis developments; an apology to the Rastafarian community.
