Caribbean urged to rethink hard stance on marijuana

The criminalisation of marijuana leads to unnecessary criminal records and increased costs to the justice system
Loop News (Barbados)
Thursday, September 22, 2016

Wendel AbelChairman of the CARICOM Commission on Marijuana, Professor Wendel Abel, believes the Caribbean can benefit greatly from the decriminalisation of small quantities marijuana as well as allowing it to be used for medicinal and research purposes. Speaking at the Marijuana Symposium at the University of the West Indies, Abel said it would be more plausible for the region to consider decriminalisation as opposed to legalisation of marijuana - as was done by the Jamaican government. The government can consider the imposition of civil fines for small quantities and implement a drug education or drug treatment court as opposed to incarceration or criminal charges. (See also: It is time for a new CARICOM policy on marijuana)