by Linda Straker
- In 2021, bill was laid in Lower House for first reading by Peter David
- Bill died when Parliament was dissolved ahead of June 2022 General Elections
- In January 2023, PM Mitchell said Grenada will focus on medicinal or commercial uses of marijuana
Agriculture Minister Lennox Andrews said that before the end of the second half of 2025, Government will bring legislation to Parliament that will decriminalise the use of cannabis/marijuana for religious and recreational use. “We were hoping to have this done before the end of the first quarter, but right now, I can safely say that it will be done before the end of the first half,” he said.
Andrews pointed out that the legislation will be similar to the legislation that the former New National Party (NNP) laid in the House in 2021 but which died when Parliament was dissolved ahead of the June 2022 General Elections. That bill was laid in the Lower House for first reading by former agriculture minister Peter David. It sought to decriminalise the use of marijuana and for anyone over the age of 18 to have no more than 28 grams in his or her possession for personal use by amending the Drug Abuse (Prevention and Control) Act.
The amendment, as proposed in 2021, allowed the use of cannabis by Rastafarians in places of worship and allowed individuals over 18 years to produce, supply, or offer to supply a small amount of cannabis. There were 6 amendments and one insertion. The main objectives of the amendments were to allow anyone over 18 years to have 28 grams or 0.987671 ounces of marijuana and to allow each homeowner over the age of 18 years to grow no more than 5 trees. Rastafarians could use the herb solely for religious purposes as a sacrament in adherence to the Rastafarian faith and at a place of worship.
During the election campaign, the then-opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) promised to legalise the possession and use of cannabis.
In January 2023, Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell said Grenada would focus on medicinal marijuana or commercial uses of marijuana. “We also recognise as well that it’s a misallocation of resources to criminalise a plant that has the levels of commercial and medicinal uses that I think everyone has accepted it has,” he said in his first media interview for 2023.
He also explained that the intention is for a regulated system where law enforcement is not arresting and charging people for the personal use of cannabis. “We don’t want to keep on wasting state resources arresting people for a spliff and that sort of thing. You know it makes no sense, and the police are better off doing proper policing rather than chasing someone for a spliff and so on.”
I have no issue with adults using marijuana recreationally, although to be fair sucking ANY smoke into your lungs isn’t a good idea. However just as there are restrictions on adolescents drinking alcohol there SHOULD be restrictions on the youth smoking as it is recognised that young peoples brains are not fully formed until they are around 22 years old, and the use of any drugs is potentially harmful.
Certainly the use of Both hemp a cannabinoid, and marijuana should be allowed medicinally.
I tried to get permission to bring in a hemp based product a couple of years ago to ease my Wife’s pain, and spoke with the chief pharmacist, and was told it would not be permitted despite it being readily purchased in the UK and the USA. A cannabinoid means it comes from the same family. But just as tomatoes and potatoes come from the same family we all know they are very different.
Finally, time to legalize marijuana medicinally and recreationally in Grenada – this will help with the GDP, will reduce police time with marijuana arrests – Grenada has great climate to produce high quality products. Alcohol , that kills many more and causes a lot more harm. The taxation from marijuana sales will help the people of Grenada.
So now we are going to add more problems to too many problems without solving any.
A sad day for grenada.