Trinidad & Tobago closer to marijuana reform

The government of Trinidad & Tobago brought 2 marijuana reform bills before parliament late last month, one to decriminalize low-level possession and another to legalize cannabis for medical and religious purposes.

Prime Minister Keith Rowley disclosed yesterday that on Monday, December 23, just 2 days before Christmas, President Paula Mae Weekes will proclaim the Dangerous Drugs Amendment Act, passed by both houses of Parliament earlier this month, which decriminalizes possession of 30 to 60 grams (1-2 ounces) of cannabis.

And he said once that is done, “a new state would exist” in Trinidad & Tobago.

After proclamation of the Act, people would be allowed to have up to 30 grams of marijuana without penalty and smoke in private dwellings, but not in public or commercial buildings. There is an upper limit of 60 grammes, for which an individual would be issued a fixed penalty, and once that fine is paid on time they would have no criminal record.

From Monday, people would also be allowed to grow 4 marijuana plants.

Persons who are incarcerated for the minimum quantities of the drug will also be eligible for release, and those with convictions can get their records expunged.

Rowley said this will be done “in a fairly expeditious way, without obstacle, but it has to be processed in the legal way”, and stressed that there would be no pardoning en masse.

The Dangerous Drugs Amendment Bill had been debated with the Cannabis Control Bill, which will establishes a Cannabis Control Bill to administer a licensing/registration regime to legitimize, establish accountability and transparency for the use of cannabis by persons and bodies engaged in religious, sacramental, medicinal and commercial activities. However, the latter was sent to a joint select committee.

Caribbean360 © Copyright 2019