The debate over the issue of marijuana has raged perpetual and maybe it is high time that we bring it to the forefront once again.  I was taken totally by surprise this past week by the news that my good friend and colleague Nuri Muhammad was busted with a small stash and made to endure the process of arrest, arraignment and bail.  Truth of the matter, I didn’t even know that Nuri smoked and if he does, he has done a darn good job of keeping it private.  I really think the whole brouhaha and wide publicity given to this incident was unfair and much ado about nothing.  But then again, we must remember that Nuri held a high profile post in the previous administration and might now be considered as riding broom stick and wearing a long pointed hat.

Now of course, we do recognize that the possession, use or trafficking of marijuana is illegal. We need laws and need to adhere to our laws but the laws must almost make good sense and be in the best interest of all concerned. Laws are designed to protect the members of society from each other and sometimes even from themselves. In Nuri’s case, he was reportedly parked in a secluded area, by himself and posing no danger to anyone. The quantity of weed allegedly found in his possession could also only be classified as personal, hence the charge of possession and not trafficking. The question in my mind is, what possible harm could Nuri Muhammad have been posing to society or even to himself?  Many studies have been done regarding the effects of marijuana but so far, there have still been no compelling or conclusive facts to suggest that the effects are harmful enough to justify the stiff penalties associated with marijuana use. On the contrary, marijuana has been proven to help many respiratory diseases, ease discomfort in others and increase appetite for persons suffering with aids.  We continue to punish and sometimes even incarcerate persons for this minor infraction and at some point, we need question whether we are doing good or causing harm. To tarnish the record and reputation of an individual because he chooses to smoke a little weed is nonsensical and draconian. Unlike a drug like say crack cocaine, which I wholeheartedly support even stiffer penalties for, users of marijuana do not pose much of a danger to society.  Weed makes one hungry or sleepy or lazy but it does not make a person violent or prone to criminal activity.  Substances like tobacco and alcohol have been deemed much more harmful yet both remain perfectly legal and are even considered chic.

A couple years ago, now Deputy Commissioner of Police Maureen Leslie, while serving as Officer in Charge of Eastern Division, issued what was supposed to have been an internal memo to members of her formation. The memo was not necessarily a directive but instead, a common sense recommendation. Instead of arresting and charging persons caught with small quantities of marijuana, Police Officers were encouraged to detain said persons, issue a stern lecture and warning and forgive the infraction. Many states in the US have now legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes and instead of incarceration, tickets are issued to persons with less than a reasonable quantity of marijuana. The Belize Police Department has also implemented a very common sense approach to dealing with students and other young people caught with small amounts of marijuana. They are enrolled in a First Offenders Program and placed on probation for a period of time and maybe this program could be extended to include all citizens. These are very sensible ways of dealing with the marijuana issue and might make the difference between creating a criminal and allowing for law abiding citizens. 

Now let me make myself perfectly clear. I am not encouraging anyone to go out there and start smoking marijuana nor am I even lobbying for the legalization of same. I do however support the decriminalization of this substance and a non-custodial sentence for offenders. There is also a need for more education on this matter so that young people can be aware of what people like myself have found out. That is, that marijuana smoking is not all that it is made out to be. The best advice that I have ever heard against marijuana use came from newspaper columnist Ann Landers, whose advice column was carried for over forty years by twenty six newspapers in the US.  When asked about marijuana use, Ann Landers said simply, “it makes dreamers of potential achievers.”