Should the VI legalise marijuana? - residents speak
Marijuana possession in the Virgin Islands is considered a criminal offence punishable upon conviction by a prison term of up to three years and a fine of $100,000.
While the drug is illegal in many countries around the world, possession and cultivation of marijuana in small, stipulated amounts has been de-criminalised in many countries. Colorado and Washington have been the first in the United States of America to legalise marijuana for recreational use. The drug has also been decriminalised in fourteen states in the US. In the Caribbean, a motion was also recently passed in Jamaica’s House of Representatives to decriminalise the use of marijuana.
Uruguay has also been one of the first Latin American countries in South America to pass a bill to legalise and regulate marijuana for personal use despite overwhelming opposition from its population. However, the bill has not yet been signed into law. There have been fears that drug use would increase and would achieve the opposite effect of taking its control out of the hands of drug cartels.
Prominent sports personality, Mr Karl ‘Dub’ Scatliffe said, “Everybody is smoking marijuana. My view on it is I don’t think it should be legalised. This is still a small country and I think we should take charge of what we have.”
According to Karl, “Not because everybody is [legalising] it doesn’t mean that we have to. You could see the effects of what is going on. The kids are getting high, they don’t have any work, so it’s forcing them into different areas. Also looking at it from a sporting aspect, athletes get drug tested randomly and kids using [marijuana] and doing sports doesn’t work hand in hand. Looking at it from that aspect [drug use] could be detrimental to their careers.”
One Jamaican national who gave his age as 23 stated, “Marijuana is not a bad thing. “I would say yes to legalising it but for adults only.” According to the self-proclaimed ‘Jamdown’, “A lot of persons use it for medicine in the United States.” He contended that persons are making soap and candles out of marijuana but also cautioned that it was not for everyone as with certain people that smoke marijuana, “it makes them go off”.
Vincent Griffith Jr of Road Town said legalising the drug locally depends on the necessity and the use of it and whether it is for medicinal purposes. “I feel that if it’s going to be legalised let it be for something that is going to be beneficial, not a compromise within the country in the sense that it is going to be a setback or a habitual distraction for youths or anyone.”
Deshaun Hodge said he didn’t feel the drug should be legalised, “Legalising it would be like if you’re buying it, then everybody would have it in abundance.” He added that if it were legalised then it wouldn’t be a crime and everybody having it won’t be a problem but this would be bad for society. “Smoking on a whole is bad, second hand smoke is bad. Not everybody will pick up smoking but those that are smoking, they would be affected.”
One female stated, “No. I don’t think it should be legalised. It’s bad for your health.”
But a local Rastafarian differed in his opinion. “As a Rasta, I man is a herbalist and I am one of them that represent marijuana, but from nineteen-how-long, I haven’t heard one person so far that has died from marijuana and there are so much of different benefits that you could get from marijuana.”
He added that, “There is clothing which could be made throughout the Eastern Caribbean from marijuana; shoes a lot of the medicines that are being used by a lot of the doctors throughout the world are also done from marijuana.”
“Marijuana is grown by a seed that none of us as a people could make in a factory or somewhere,” he stated emphatically, “so who are we to condemn the Father’s creation.”
According to the man who works in the tourism industry, “If something is good I am for it, if it’s not then I’m against it but being a Rastaman, I represent marijuana.”
He further stated, “When you smoke marijuana you become aware of more of what is in front of you. You are more knowledgeable about your surroundings so I think one of the reasons that we don’t want it to be legalised is because people are going to become a little bit more knowledgeable about marijuana if they have the opportunity to use marijuana. He added that the drug doesn’t necessarily have to be smoked as it can be drank as a tea and is beneficial to one’s body.”
Meanwhile, Avery Gilbert of Baughers Bay said he felt marijuana is only for people who have money and for people who are working and things like that. He was in agreement that the drug should be legalised locally.
One medical practitioner said he felt that even though there were some positive effects that came with the use of medical marijuana, this did not mean that the drug should legalised in the VI as the drug was still associated with some negative effects. He added that there should at least be broad consultations done if this were to be the case.
In addition to the potential for negative effects, medical marijuana can be used to treat people that are suffering from cancer, AIDS, and chronic pain. Research studies show that medical marijuana is helpful to people who experience chronic non-cancer pain, vomiting and nausea caused by chemotherapy. The drug can also help with treating symptoms of AIDS patients and muscle spasms related to multiple sclerosis.
One bar manager said he thought marijuana should certainly be legalised and definitely encouraged when it comes to medical marijuana. “I think it should be governed. I don’t think it’s a good idea to have kids involved and you should be maybe 21 years old or over,” he stated. “I think there should be some form of regulation, I don’t know what form exactly. I firmly believe it should be legalised. Use that money that they use to fight marijuana and fight harder drugs. I don’t believe that harder drug use comes from marijuana use. I think there should be strict regulation. You’ve got to be mentally stable and aware that this is what you’re doing and it’s not a childish thing to play around with.”
Marijuana policy ineffective and damaging
Commentator Natalio D. Wheatley aka Sowande Uhuru has long been a supporter of legalisation of the drug locally and said, “Even though my stance has not been popular among certain individuals in the community, I believe it is the right thing to legalise marijuana or at the very least to decriminalise it.”
According to Wheatley, “Marijuana has medical benefits, and I read with interest an interview given by the Premier, Hon. Dr. Orlando Smith, showing his support for medical marijuana.”
He also stated that local media has reported that the prison is full, and they are considering parole and electronic tagging. “Decriminalising marijuana would save a lot of time, energy and money and allow resources to go towards fighting more serious crime. Most people would agree that people should not be serving time for marijuana consumption or, even, distribution,” Wheatley argued.
“Currently, Caricom is taking steps to decriminalize marijuana, joining the ever increasing number of countries that are doing away with oppressive laws limiting the consumption of marijuana.”
“Uruguay has taken the bold step of legalizing all aspects of marijuana production, distribution, and consumption. Even respected global figures such as Fareed Zakaria and Dr. Sanjay Gupta, an acclaimed neurosurgeon, has come out in support of legalising marijuana. It should be clear to all that the tide is turning on these restrictive laws, and it is time to close the book on the ineffective and damaging policies of the past.”
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65 Responses to “Should the VI legalise marijuana? - residents speak”
the man to say its legal? the law and everybody is doing it soooo what?
Big up to Peter Tosh
If the BVI legalized marijuana it would thrive, but it has been dragged to the depths of hell and will continue to do so if it continues to live by Babylon's laws.
usually what they call stage 4 , or terminal cancer...
For instance, clinically proven that Hemp oil fights melanoma (skin) cancer.
These are some of my pointers, once Gov have the right laws and protection around our boarders, including proper ways to screen people who will come to buy and smoke. It will work.
People who worry about the effects it will have on the youth almost have a point, but it's only half a point.
Some youths might just waste their lives from smoking weed, true.
But many, many youths will grow up WITHOUT believing that government is something stupid, illogical and not to be respected.
When youth going through their rebellious stage see a law like PRISON for marijuana, a simple herb as ancient as the earth, they see the law as a total @$$, so it adds fuel to their rebellious nature. It justifies their rebellion. Gives them a clear reason to call the po-po a bunch of oppressors. After that, real crimes come more easy.
I know that's how it worked for me and millions of my generation (40s-50s now). How could society be so wonderful if they happy to destroy a man life for smoking a little joint? Especially when you see man and woman drinking all over the place, big companies making money from liquor and cigarette.
So, if you worried about the effects on youth of legalizing marijuana, maybe take a step back and look at the effects of youth on NOT legalizing it. The damage has been done already, but in the future, youth may just grow up respecting the laws of our community instead of laughing at them and heading way off course as a result.
In years to come, the attitudes that now prevail towards people that choose cannabis will be as politically incorrect as racism, homophobia or denying women the vote.
There will be smoking in the park in the centre of Road Town. Please, it will never be controlled if all can smoke at will.
Benefiting from weed/hemp is a game of scales. If we only ketch di rake at the sometime larger more advanced countries do, We Lose.
Laws around weed are a game of demographics. the BVI is a country with the overwhelming majority of our population being black is taking cues from the US a country where while weed usage is varied, those punished are overwhelmingly black and prisons are now publicly traded companies.
I personally think weed should be decriminalized but NEVER legalized. Here's why.
If you make this thing legal, people will be able to blaze ANYWHERE them feel, same as drinking a bottle of water on the road. You going have idiots doing this thing by the schools and churches and other places where this thing clearly ain't welcomed and you'll also have kids and young adults ITCHING to do this thing cuz it legal now and it helps them in their rebellious phases and what's not. Now with a cigarette second hand smoke you just pulling in the bad smoke and being annoyed, with second hand ganja smoke, you getting HIGH. Contact buzz, my brother. You can't escape some sort of a contact buzz if a man light up a fathead in the same area as you and some people will be real willfull to do it too cuz it legal now and they ain't getting prosecuted for it. Nah. Legalizing it won't help at all, it'll hinder and hurt.
However...It should be decriminalized. Weed ain't NOWHERE NEAR as harmfull as those who against it might make you believe. Damn near everyone of us can light up a joint, smoke, get buzzed or high, enjoy or not enjoy it, come down and go to work/school proper the next day. Try that with crack, Heroin, speed, meth. opium (Oh lawd..opium..lol) or any other hardcore drug with addictive properties (Weed, mushrooms, l.S.D. are drugs that carry no physical penalties for ending useage of 'em abruptly) ? That is what we should be fighting. Hit a crack pipe once, with all your degrees and god fearing disposition and see what happen to you within the week. It got WORSE things out here we shud be fighting.
Anyways, this thing should be decriminalized in a manner where a person who is caught with varrying amounts is cautioned, fined or reprimnded accordingly. A dude with a gram (dime bag), caution him, a dude with an 8th or more (3.5 grams - an 8th of an ounce) should be fined for having more than a personal amount and anyone with enough quantity to supply, should be dealt with in varrying levels until they do this thing too much and get hit with jail time. SERIOUS JAIL TIME AND FINES AFTER TOO MANY RUN INS WITH DISOBEYING SAID REGULATIONS.
Minors should be dealt with as adults for carrying and using in order to deter (lol...kids don't listen) 'em from engaging early in this thing, same as alcohol. I'm not too keen on the whole "Economy" aspect of wanting to legalize weed because the money will be going towards the same fools who mismanage what little money we supposedly don't have into their own coffers and pockets of their friends and trusted colleauges. The grower, the dude who out working hard to provide quality product will get shafted and all you got is politicians and governments growing fat off of a market them ain't helping with at all.
But as one dude say, we got "Old" people in there. People who grow up in an era where you had to milk cow and walk to school with your shoes on your feet. While I never had to do nothing like that, I can safely say those folk that do grew up with a harder resolve than myself and I'm forever greatful to them for being the backbones of the society we live in right now....but for something like this...them a bit too old and hardheaded in what them fear....they fear a widescale epidemic the minute a joint light up so with them in the picture...ain't happening.
Stay safe, pot heads, I'll continue eating mushrooms...which legal here. <3 Bless.
Good news for smokers. Bad news for people who trying to get their loved ones a head and on the correct part. In result especially with the young people in our territory it would just hall down their motivation from excelling in life. Believe it or not! Weed might not be Cancerous but THINK B.V.I this is NOT what we want! In result of smoking weed over a long period of time your going to have a lot of heart problems believe it or not and other type of body problems also. READ UP!!! Amsterdam and other places who legalized it are now going back to fix what they have done. The country would fall right down flat on its face we don't Pot Heads walking all around. The youths in this generation who never taught about smoking a joint would just go right a head and do it because of this decision. We can not do this and help this place to thrive for excellence and not help bring it down!!! SOURCE: (experience) Myself and others all around the World. Read up people. Its good to get the high but it doesn't bring forth fruit of no kind what so ever. Believe this. Goals would be set back. Kids coming home high from burning with their "pannaS" this is just bulls£$%. We need a extended CRUISE SHIP DOCK done. BETTER PRICES FOR FOOD, SEWAGE CONTROL and much more not WEED Legalized because your going to see much more Youths going on CRACK and start using coke. WE DON'T NEED THIS!!!! We need help in other areas not WEED!!!
This is unjust! Cannabis is not a drug it has not killed nor done any harm to anyone and it is illegal. Why should nature be illegal? Alcohol causes so many deaths and yet it is legal. Cigarette increases the risk of lung cancer and yet it is legal. Cannabis decreases and cures cancer and all other diseases yet it is illegal. Not to mention those chemical filled foods in the supermarket you all have killing people. THE WORLD HAS GONE STARK RAVING MAD! People no longer know the truth nor do they want to seek it. People want to remain ignorant. They want to be led like sheep! Slavery is not over the people have just accepted the ways of the slave masters. Thomas Jefferson said it best “If a law is unjust, a man is not only right to disobey it, he is obligated to do so.”
They have people in the hospitals on their death beds pumping ‘medicine’, oh I mean poison, into the people and expecting them to live while there are natural cures out there. The natural remedies are helping people, the man is using weed to get rid of his ‘baby momma drama’ = stress. But instead of the natural remedy they would rather the people take these over the counter drugs which are sending the people under ground before their time. Then they want to talk about criminalizing ‘drugs’ because they are a harm to the community and to the person on a whole.
I say let the people use the herb until the government can find a cure for all these problems that are killing the people. There is no man made cure that can do what nature has already taken care of.