The chairman of the Cannabis Movement, Mr. Andre De Caires, has described as “unfortunate” a police drug interception believed to have led to the death of a man at sea. On Wednesday, local police addressed the incident: during a routine patrol on May 24 the marine unit intercepted a canoe near Mathurin Point in Vieux Fort. Sixty-three pounds of “what appeared to be cannabis” was discovered aboard and confiscated. Vieux Fort resident Martinez Fontenelle was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled drug, then granted bail.
The police said another occupant on board the vessel had jumped into the water and escaped arrest. They reported “a body of a male, believed to be the second occupant” was later found at a beach along Mathurin Point.
De Caires had no quarrel with Fontenelle being charged, since marijuana possession remains illegal. But the incident highlights the bigger issue of our current laws, he said. “It’s very unfortunate that ganja does not kill users, but illegal possession of it does. Many people’s lives have been destroyed and people have died because of the illegality of cannabis. It’s a victimless, non-violent crime, and here we have a man losing his life over some bags of grass.”
The chairman says his group is in dialogue with Commerce Minister Bradley Felix, the government’s point man on cannabis. A key part of the Movement’s plans is to embark on a national educational programme to educate the public on cannabis-related matters. De Caires says Minister Felix has requested a budget for the initiative, which they intend to submit by this week.
