By Akola Thompson
In the year 1995, Jamaican artiste and activist Macka B sang the jam, Legalize the Herb. Commenting on the continued criminalization of marijuana that saw many youths and non-violent persons being arrested, Macka sang “You’re only making criminals out of decent folks/ Just because of a little ganja they smoke/ It shouldn’t be a crime/ It’s about time.” 24 years ago, it was time for governments to stop the dehumanizing and economically unsound imprisonment of its mainly young and poor population. The need to change this law that is steeped in a history of racism and imperialism is so long overdue that it is often bewildering to notice the slothful approach our nation’s leaders have to it.
Almost daily, there are reports of persons imprisoned months and years for small amounts of weed. Our priority in imprisoning our own through this Reagan-era drug prohibition law has seen the lives and opportunities of many young and poor persons destroyed. I think we need to be honest about who is usually targeted by these laws. It is not the well-off John with connections. It is usually the young black and brown men from poorer sections of society. This is not to say that our uptown brothers do not smoke weed with the same regularity, it just means that they often have the means to do it privately in protected spaces. Even when these uptown brothers are caught, connections and finances often go a very long way in our less than stellar police and judicial system.
The disparity in incarceration rates is not surprising when one considers that the police system was created originally as slave patrols and that moralizing racist white men put the judicial system in place. As colonized nations, many Caribbean countries of course adopted these systems as their own and even up to this day proudly uphold them. Administration after administration in Guyana ignored the plight of the marginalized languishing in the prison system. When we think of the huge number of persons in prison on marijuana charges, we must also consider how these persons who are usually non-violent, become hardened criminals in the prison system. With the great backlog of cases in the judiciary, many prisoners stay on remand awaiting trial on marijuana possession charges amongst convicted murderers, rapists and thieves. Focus should be placed on rehabilitation of non-violent offenders, not criminalization. According to the findings of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the Camp Street Prison riot fire that claimed 17 lives in March 2016, it takes $485,000 to house one prisoner per year. How much money is being wasted yearly to take away future opportunities from the nation’s youths for daring to burn a Spliff? It is important that in our calls for marijuana decriminalization or legalization, we argue non-violent marijuana related offences be expunged from records of those who have been arrested and incarcerated as these records often have a negative impact on their future.
The APNU+AFC coalition recently stated that Cabinet had approved a proposal that there would be no custodial sentences or prison time for those who are found in possession of 30 grams or less. However, they would later clarify after being called out, that marijuana possession remains illegal and that the proposal was merely the first step. This is indicative of how politicians like to play hard and fast with the truth – particularly around election season. The continuous flip-flopping on marijuana decriminalization and so many other important issues will continue if we as a country insist on recycling the same politicians we’ve known since the 80s.
A few of our Caribbean neighbours have already decriminalized small quantities of marijuana such as Uruguay and Antigua. Jamaica also in 2015 decriminalized small amounts of weed and has established a licensing agency to regulate lawful medical cannabis on the island. Rastafarians are now free to use the plant for religious purposes and the Jamaican economy has begun to profit from the plants’ commercialization.
As a nation that has touted itself as being on the path to a green economy, I wrongly assumed that Guyana would seek to invest in natural solutions that can drive our economy. But oil seems to be the only thing on the tongues of many, the wealth from which the average Guyanese will most likely never see. As we have observed time and time again, when small oil rich nations get into bed with shady oil companies, it is only the one percenter who wins.
What many of the numerous hats thrown into the presidential race seem to have in common is their collective lack of vision. Had this government been serious about a green economy, they would have not ruled out the cultivation of industrial hemp. Former Minister of State, Joseph Harmon rejected its legalization as he was worried about Guyana returning to the classification as a narco-state by ABC countries. It should be noted that hemp is an agricultural product with close to 30, 000 things it can be used for such as health, food and body care products, detergents, medicines and paper, ethanol fuel production, clothing and lubricating oils.
While we continuously burn down marijuana fields, the nations that handed down these racialized and biased laws and mentality have already begun profiting from marijuana decriminalization and legalization. They are quickly taking over the burgeoning legal markets and by the time Guyana decides to play catch up, our local economy will be inundated with foreign weed products. Our politicians continue to pander to the white system and gaze to the detriment of our country’s development.
When dem ago realize?
Government dem a terrorize
Corporation dem a capitalize
While the farmer man ah beg a little bligh
– Coolie Buddz, Come around
Akola Thompson is a writer and social activist. You can send comments to akolathompson@gmail.com
