The government is on the wrong track on the ganja issue

For decades in America, school children were taught early throughout their school life that drugs are bad and you should “Just Say No” to drugs. The Ministry of Education here announced they will introduce the “DARE” (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program of the USA. That will be a very costly exercise and will add to expenses to the education budget. But that’s a good thing in light of increasing drug use across Guyana, that is destroying students/schools, individuals, families, villages, and community life when the locals use drugs by the street corners, terrorize the people, and commit breakins, petty crimes, and gun robberies to sustain the drug habit. “If we sow to the wind, we will reap the whirlwind” (Hosea 8:7), if we give a seal of approval to the possession and use of mind-altering drugs, no matter how small the amount.

A recent headline said, “Rastafarian community concerned over delay of ganja reform law -AG hoping to wrap up select committee work before parliamentary recess” (SN, July 24, 2022). Apparently, the Guyana Rastafarian Council wants speedy approval of the proposed amendment to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act for the removal of custodial sentences for the possession of less than 30 grammes of cannabis. The PNC wanted no-jail time for amounts of 500 grammes but the PPP defeated that, and rightly so. The bill proposes that the possession of a quantity of cannabis or any substance held out to be cannabis which does not exceed 15 grammes would be punishable by mandatory counselling for a period to be determined by the counsellor. Guyana does not have enough counsellors for that.

The Bill also proposes that the possession of any quantity of cannabis, or any substance held out to be cannabis which exceeds 15 grammes but does not exceed 30 grammes, would be punishable by community service for a period not exceeding six months. That would require extra and ongoing funding to set up a national program. That should clean up all the blocked drains all over the country! The AG said, “The bill we’re doing really it’s not to decriminalise but the removal of the custodial sentence from small amounts of marijuana and the Committee [is] to decide what that small amount is [and] we are trying to be consistent with the rest of the Caribbean.” It seems to me that any attempt to send a message that it is OK to use small quantities and you will not be punished, is aiding, abetting and encouraging the use of drugs in Guyana. That is the wrong direction to take. What do the moms, dads think? What do grandmas and grandpas think about this? What do teachers think? And Medical folks? And Mental Health folks?

Why do we test people for the presence of drugs and alcohol when there is a road accident, or occupational accident? Is it because these mind-altering drugs cause impairment? If you look at recent headlines, it is clear that there is an increase in drug trafficking all over the country. That’s a big problem. Women and young people are involved now. When you have such a big problem that destroys lives and fuel robberies, violent crimes and brutalization of people, the government is on the wrong track. Is the use of illegal drugs a “human right” or a “human wrong?” This so-called law reform sounds like “sinning without guilt.” We cannot do like America, where they let people do wrong things under the guise of “freedom” which is really “license,” and then turn around and spend billions to fix those people who become addicted, school dropouts, job dropouts, criminals, homeless, imprisoned, etc.

Look what the USA did – they started with “medical marijuana,” and it graduated to universal “recreational marijuana” allowable in some states. Now, they also face a huge problem of “opioid addiction,” consuming billions of dollars to deal with all the related problems. Same problem with tobacco that is legal but smoking is now outlawed in all public buildings and spaces. Guyana and CARICOM should not copy these practices.