ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI- Prime Minister of the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis, Dr The Hon Timothy S. Harris has joined the conversation by many sectors of society, to make marijuana legal, particularly following Jamaica’s lead in 2015 to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of the herb, saying it is not as easy as a walk in the park, as many perceive.
The regional leader used the opportunity during a diaspora town hall meeting at the Althea Scatliffe Primary School’s auditorium on Saturday October 22, 2016, to shed some light on the hot topic that has been dominating many conversations particularly in the region of late.According to him, following a meeting with his Jamaican counterparts, there are some challenges that they are being faced with following that step to make it “alright” to have marijuana in small amounts.
“And I would say they regretting it,” he noted.
“…I was in a meeting with the Prime Minister [Andrew M. Holness] and he said the banks in Jamaica are not taking monies into their banks from persons whose trade is marijuana. Because they are saying that the international banks consider it to be a drug and to get involved in receiving money from drug activities, they could lose their license, they could be fined millions of dollars. So it is not as easy as some people believe,” Hon Harris said.
He pointed out that those who are clamoring for the legalization of marijuana, “you must ask them what they will they do better? Because although the marijuana is illegal sometimes you cannot pass, they dare you, you pass and is smoke you inhale you know it’s unhealthy for your body, imagine if it were legal they would be in the church with it. So you have to ask yourselves what is it that they would do differently.”
The St Kitts and Nevis political leader remarked that there are many negatives to the use of the herb, and those who know better must speak out.
“We as people who know better have to be part of the debate to say what is on our mind because it is easy to say legalese it,” he stated.
Harris also mentioned that he is really concerned about how some of these people who smoke the marijuana deal with it, adding that in the past, users of the herb were discreet but gone are those days.
He said one has to wonder what kind of world it will be if the marijuana is legalized and painted a picture of parents trying to grow their children up the right way and these children attending school to be seeing other children smoking and using marijuana.
“So it is a big, big issue to be discussed,” he noted. “Some people say we are old fashioned and my view on being old fashioned is it is still relevant today, and if we follow some of those old fashioned values our society will be stronger and better for it.”
Locally, there have been calls for the decriminalization of marijuana also, with the latest call being made by talk show personality Doug Wheatley to stop putting users of marijuana behind bars since he said marijuana is not a drug.