Dear Editor,
Setting up a drug court is the humanitarian way to manage individuals who have drug problems. Congratulations to all who made this possible and for an old repugnant system to end. There is also the need for reform of many other situations where punishment is not the way to manage persons who have illnesses. For example, attempted suicide as a criminal action should be removed from the law books.
We are also way behind other Caribbean countries which have made changes to the legislation for use of marijuana. They allow farmers to safely plant for export to countries which are formulating drugs to help with seizure and other medical conditions. We have the capability here in Guyana to produce these medicines but unless our legal luminaries step up and put pressure on government, this will likely drag along and we will lose out on an opportunity for individuals who can be employed in this field of work.
I share two excerpts from the executive summary of the CARICOM report of the Regional Commission on Marijuana 2018. “There is considerable consensus amongst Commissioners about the nature and thrust of law reform, in particular, the move away from criminalization toward a responsibly regulated, public health/ rights based approach” and “Prohibition denies the CARICOM region substantial economic benefit.”
I hope that the new government will make these and other much needed changes to archaic laws in Guyana.
Yours faithfully,
Dr Davendra Sharma
Professor of Behaviour
Sciences
