Hon Carlisle Powell – and presumably the Nevis Reformation Party – is reported to be pro legalising of marijuana. Hon Vance Amory – and presumably Concerned Citizens Movement – is against; as is Dr the Hon Timothy Harris, again, presumably so is the Peoples Labour Party. We are yet to hear from anyone from the St Kitts Nevis Labour Party and the Peoples Action Movement.
Of course, the Rastafarian Order is in the forefront of the drive to legalise the herb, and they have appeared on several radio shows including that hosted by the Hon Mark Brantley to outline their case and their cause. We have not polled the citizenry, but we are certain that they too have a position on the matter.
Meanwhile, the government has executed its policy and re-sent a strong signal of its intolerance to marijuana by engaging the Regional Security Services to assist our uniformed forces to eradicate the clandestine marijuana farms that are in the Federation. St Kitts& Nevis is not alone in this debate; and the pressures for legalising marijuana are becoming greater and greater.
There was a time when coffee and alcohol were illicit. If the history of coffee and alcohol are any guide, then it is reasonable to assume that we will eventually follow fashion with whatever happens in the international arena. In fact, the situation with alcohol presents a curious scenario in that it is not illegal to consume alcohol, but being drunk (i.e. over-consumption) in public has consequences. It is the behaviour that causes concern and not the possession or consumption per se.
Research coming out of the United States in particular, is fascinating. It shows that the type that is being medically allowed has high levels of THC, the good compound. The inference is that the ones that are grown in the Caribbean contain less THC and more of the other eight chemicals that are considered mind altering and therefore less medically beneficial.
There is also the violence aspect that many link to marijuana. However, it is a double edged sword as it has been used as arguments on both sides.
Just as there is mango and there is amory poly, so too there is marijuana and marijuana. Same genus but totally different cultivar. What then should we legalise?
