The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

ANGLICAN Archdeacon James Palacious wants marijuana possession reduced to a misdemeanour so it would not show up on a person's police record, but he opposes the complete decriminalisation of the plant, saying Bahamians have more than enough vices already.

However, he supports the use of medical marijuana.

"I wouldn't like to see it approved for recreational use," he told the press yesterday. "I think our people have enough issues as it is right now and as much as possible we should stay away from another drug being so readily available. As far as use of marijuana for medical purposes, I'm fully in agreement with that. The jury is in on it. The results are very obvious. It has helped millions of people throughout the world."

The national debate about marijuana was reignited following disclosure of a CARICOM report recommending marijuana's declassification as a dangerous drug and the reclassification of it as a controlled substance.

"The commission believes that the end goal for CARICOM should be dismantling of prohibition in its totality, to be replaced by a strictly regulated framework akin to that for alcohol and tobacco, which are harmful substances that are not criminalised," the report said.

Archdeacon Palacious, nonetheless, said people must face "consequences for their actions."

"I support the decriminalisation of marijuana if that means small quantities of it becomes a misdemeanour rather than something that goes permanently on somebody's record that prevents them from getting a good job, from travelling. Of course people must learn to take consequences of their actions. They must know that certain things are illegal and they should quite naturally comply with the laws of the country. That said, too many youngsters have their careers ruined because of their own actions. We must not let them get off as far as that is concerned. But society must also realise that the experimentation with drugs, illicit drugs, is not very different from the experimentation with legitimate drugs like alcohols, not to mention some of the terrible stuff we permit the pharmaceutical companies to inject through our bodies through the doctors, but that's my position."

The Minnis administration says it will establish a committee that will host town meetings and focus groups on marijuana. Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis has said once the public's stance is determined, the matter will be brought to Parliament for a debate and "the people" will determine the way forward. It's not clear by what mechanism a parliamentary debate would proceed, whether after a bill is introduced or not.

Archdeacon Palacious supports taking the public's temperature on the matter before proceeding with any action.

"Talk to the people, have town meetings, educate the people, have as wide a discourse as possible, bearing in mind you never get unanimity on these things," he said. "In the final analysis we must do what we believe is in the best interest of our people."