đŹđŸ Guyana: Coalitionâs ganja bill âextinguishedâ
FreeFiređ„NewsWireA lack of scientific evidence and âdeep thoughtâ were cited by Parliamentarians on the Government side of the House, as reasons for the dismissal of an opposition-sponsored bill, which sought to amend the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act, in order to remove jail time for persons found with 500 grams or less of marijuana.
Arguing that the bill tabled by Opposition Parliamentarian, Sherod Duncan, is just an attempt to be âultra-liberalâ, Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC, said: â500 grams is insanity.â
Supported by his colleagues on the Governmentâs side of the House, Nandlall challenged the rationale behind the Oppositionâs proposal of such an amendment, which reeks of âreckless politicsâ.
Decriminalization of cannabis, also known as marijuana or ganja, has been a discussion across the world, but few countries have actually implemented policies to this effect, since there needs to be careful thought and consideration of both the benefits and drawbacks. The reason being, it is a psychoactive drug which, in many cases, is used for creational purposes.
Undoubtedly, there are sections of society which use this marijuana for religious purposes and for its medicinal properties, but the adverse effects, particularly in the youth population, cannot be omitted during considerations of decriminalisation. Duncan, the drafter of the bill, argued that the opposition relied heavily on a report from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)âs regional commission on marijuana, which included data from Guyana and other Caribbean nations.
The Government too, through Nandlall, contended that they utilised the CARICOM guidelines for the formulation of their own bill, which was presented to the House and transmitted to a special select committee.
But, this, the Government argued, does not justify the basis for allowing persons to legally possess 500 grams of marijuana. The Attorney-General argued that the opposition did not cite a study or statistics which show that this amount of marijuana is justifiable. âNot a single study quoted from, not a single statistic provided,â Nandlall contended, noting that the proposal was insane.
The argument that there was no scientific evidence to support the oppositionâs proposal was also used by a vociferous Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson.
WASTE OF TIME
âYou cannot conduct experiments with peopleâs lives,â Ramson said, noting that it is a âwaste of timeâ to present a bill that moves the possession of cannabis over one pound.
His contention is that there is no scientific basis to prove that decriminalizing possession of up to 500 grams is safe for a country. Initially, the opposition, while in Government, had tabled a motion to permit the possession of up to 15 grams, so the âastronomicalâ rise, as said by Ramson, is untenable. Referencing a study done on the impact of the decriminalisation of marijuana and alcohol in Jamaica, Minister Ramson argued that decriminalisation correlates with first time and general use among the youth population.
âWorryingly, decriminalisation correlates with the likelihood of first time and general use for youths⊠there is also some evidence that it results in substitution from alcohol to marijuana,â Ramson reasoned.
It is for this reason that Ramson said that this is not the time to play games and experiment on the lives of Guyanese, especially young people.
Opposition Parliamentarian, Jermaine Figueira, argued, however, that the time is right for Guyana to move in the direction outlined by the Coalition. He believes that this is necessary because Guyana is âbehind the timeâ. The parliamentarian, however, referenced just one country where custodial sentencing for marijuana has been removed, Jamaica.
In responding to Figueiraâs argument, Ramson questioned: âHow can we be behind the times when there is only one country in the Caribbean?â
ILLOGICAL
He even went as far as to consider the parliamentarianâs argument as âillogical,â noting again that there is no scientific evidence to back the oppositionâs proposal, and that the people should not be used as test subjects. Nandlall too was critical of the oppositionâs proposals, noting that topics that are of great public importance ought to be dealt with by the Government.
His firm view is that legislation to remove custodial sentencing for the possession of marijuana is a matter that cannot be dealt with through a private memberâs bill.
Let alone the medium of presentation to the House, the Attorney-General said the drafter of the bill does not comprehend the difference between decriminalisation and legislation. One example referenced by Nandlall is the use of the term ânarcotics,â which, if passed, would have allowed for the decriminalisation of over 100 forms of narcotics listed in the act.
Additionally, the Attorney-General criticised the Opposition for its failure to address the possession of marijuana in, but not limited to, schools, public spaces, premises, roads and highways.
The Attorney-General was adamant that the oppositionâs bill had severe, fundamental deficiencies, which the Government, in no way, plans to replicate in its bill.
The bill drafted by the Government has as its main policy objective, the reduction of recidivism, prison overcrowdings and the burden on the criminal justice system. It also provides for the saving of State funds, and ultimately rebuilding lives, families and communities affected by the fining and incarceration of persons, especially youths, for the possession and use of small amounts of cannabis.
The bill achieves its policy objective through the removal of the custodial sentence and the monetary penalty for possession of cannabis not exceeding 30 grams and replaces those penalties with mandatory counseling and community service, with counseling being done after an assessment of the person by a certified counselor.
It also takes into account the detrimental effect of imprisonment on offenders and their families and balances it against the possible social effects of using cannabis and concerns of members of the population including the religious community.
The draft also took into consideration the legislative reforms in other CARICOM countries.
Although the Governmentâs bill has broad objectives, the Attorney-General said it will be further discussed at the level of a special select committee.
The need for consensus on this legislation was also asserted by the Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, who, using a makeshift âjoint,â said 500 grams is too much, but a fair amount would be derived after consulting key stakeholders.
âSource guyanachronicle.com