Outspoken attorney-at-law Anselm Clouden has called on the 3-year old Dickon Mitchell-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) government to fulfil its promise made to the young in the 2022 general election to legalise ganja on the island.
Clouden, who heads a government-appointed committee to make recommendations on the issue, said it was time for Attorney General Senator Claudette Joseph to amend the Drug Control and Prevention Act in keeping with the campaign promise.
Speaking to THE NEW TODAY, the city barrister who is a foundation member of Congress said the ganja issue was one of the reason why the New National Party (NNP) government of Keith Mitchell lost the election as the young people acted in a manner at the polls based upon the promise made to them by Congress “that they would legalise marijuana.”
He charged that Congress is now 3 years into government “and nothing has been done by the Attorney General” to fulfill the promise made to the young people.
He likened it “to promise made, promise not kept.”
According to Clouden, the Dickon Mitchell government at the Botanical Gardens in St George does not seem to understand the “urgency of the moment” as Grenada is now “one of the few countries in the OECS that continue to jail our citizens for the possession of one marijuana cigarette.”
“We have submitted an amended bill to make changes on the act because our young people are still saddled with the spectre of going to jail or a heavy fine which ultimately sends them to jail,” he said.
The attorney-at-law pointed out that the careers “of our young people are being ruined when they are apprehended” by law enforcement officers for even a few marijuana joints.
He charged that this draconian piece of legislation was passed under the former 1990-95 NDC government in a bill that was piloted by then Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Dr Francis Alexis who is now pushing a bill to get Parliament to amend a certain section of the Grenada Constitution document.
Clouden said the situation is different in many islands in the Eastern Caribbean as persons in St Vincent, Barbados, St Lucia, St Kitts/Nevis and Antigua can have a certain amount of cannabis (ganja) in their possession for personal use.
In addition, St Vincent, under the Dr. Ralph Gonsalves government there is “a massive medicinal cannabis industry” in existence and bringing in a lot of foreign exchange to the country.
Clouden also said that a lot of young people leave Grenada and go to St Vincent and bring in ganja “for medicinal and other purposes.”
He pointed out that marijuana is big business in St Vincent and it is common to see ganja men driving around in Mercedes Benz vehicles.
The former President of the Grenada Bar Association (GBA) noted that recently Canada imported cannabis from Jamaica because the North American country could not supply the demand of the herb for medicinal cannabis.
He charged that one of his own clients applied to a university in Texas in the United States but was turned down on applying for a student’s visa due to a ganja conviction.
He said the applicant as part of the requirements to obtain the visa from U.S Immigration officials in Barbados was truthful to admit that he had a conviction for illegal possession of drugs.
According to Clouden, this should be contrasted to neighbouring St Vincent, where a student with a criminal record for ganja possession would see it expunged.
“We had suggested the same for Grenada. Two years now the Attorney General has the document to amend the Drug Prevention and Control Act – hasn’t been amended and our young people continue to face criminal prosecution. That must change,” he quipped.
Clouden stressed that the bill to effect sweeping changes to the Francis Alexis piece of legislation went through a first reading in Parliament under the New National Party (NNP) government of Keith Mitchell that was voted out of office in 2022.
He said the young people are smoking ganja in Grenada and there is nothing that the authorities can now do “to stop it.”
He also said that tourists often come to the island and visit the beach and ask locals “where he can pick up some good weed.”
The longstanding barrister-at-law indicated that the medical experts have advanced the position that at age 18, no neurologic effect will take place on any individual as the brain will be sufficiently matured by then to accommodate smoking unless the person “has a pre-existing condition.”
THE NEW TODAY understands that Clouden and his government-appointed team to make recommendations on the ganja issue met with Cabinet last week to update them on the situation.
There are reports that some government ministers are in favour of legalization of the herb on conditions that persons are allowed to plant only one ganja tree for personal use.
