Legalize or Decriminalization!

By G. Michael Reid

In June 2004, then Assistant Commissioner of Police Maureen Leslie sent what was supposed to have been an internal memo to her commanders. The memo reminded commanders of a change in policy which recommended more discretion when charging, in particular young people, who are found in possession of 2 grams or less of marijuana. The policy made perfect sense but was for the most part being ignored. Marijuana busts are safe and easy to make and it gives Police Officers a chance to come off the streets, hang around the office and do paperwork until their shift ends. Somebody within the department leaked the memo to the press and what ensued was later described as "a storm of controversy". At the time, everything was being leaked to the press even matters discussed in Cabinet and everything was turned political. Objection to the directive was fierce, in particular from the then Opposition, and it seemed that those objections were sustained. Things went on per normal and the ridiculous prosecution of persons for even tiny quantities of marijuana, a few seeds even at times, seemed to intensify instead of letting up. It might be time for us to take a second look at these ridiculous laws which cause much harm and does little good in the improvement of our quality of life.

Evidently, a big reason for our stringent enforcement of laws against marijuana is precipitated by pressure coming to bear from the United States. This in itself ranks of staunch hypocrisy. As early as 1973, twelve states of the US including Oregon, Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, New York, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, and Oregon have in some manner altered their existing laws to reduce the penalties for marijuana possession. A number of states have decriminalized marijuana to varying degrees while most states have created exemptions specifically for medical use of marijuana. Two states, Colorado and Washington, have totally legalized the recreational use of marijuana following the approval of state referenda in the 2012 elections. Those states have reported huge financial benefits and propositions in Oregon and California which barely failed in their previous effort are once again on the ballot. The state of Maryland recently passed legislation that decriminalized possession of 10 grams or less and simultaneously created a medical cannabis regulatory framework to dispense marijuana to patients and caregivers in the state. New York and Minnesota have also passed medical marijuana laws.

Again, these measures were being put in place from as early as 1973 but yet, as late as 1984, shortly after being elected to office for the first time, the United Democratic Party called in the US and gave them permission to destroy marijuana fields in Belize. At the time, Belize was producing some of the best marijuana and the Belize Breeze was highly coveted, especially in the US. The destruction of the fields was carried about by the spraying of a deadly chemical known as paraquat. Interestingly enough, in 1983, the year before they came to spray in Belize, the US had banned the use of Paraquat in its own national forests citing serious environmental concerns. Reliable medical studies prove Paraquat to be exceedingly toxic to human beings, animals and the environment. According to one medical report, "Breathing in Paraquat causes lung damage and can lead to a disease called Paraquat lung. Paraquat causes damage to the body when it touches the lining of the mouth, stomach, or intestines. You can get sick if Paraquat touches a cut on your skin. Paraquat can also damage to the kidneys, liver, and esophagus."

Then Prime Minster Manuel Esquivel apparently had some reservations and had this to say in an interview conducted at the Belize Mission at the UN in 1984, "While we share the American concern about the drug problem, because it is our problem as well, we feel that we have an obligation to proceed responsibly. If you say that aerial eradication is the only efficient way to do it, O.K. We just want to make sure that whatever we do will not be to our detriment." Mr. Esquivel went to wax prophetic as he stated that "For example we have a growing honeybee industry, and it is felt that if we were to spray paraquat over a wide area, particularly in the north, where we have a lot of honeybees, that we run the risk of destroying that industry." Esquivel even recommended another chemical called "glyphosate" which he claimed tests had proven to be less damaging to honeybees.He ended his interview by exclaiming, "Well, we'll see." Boy, did we ever see!

In an interview given to Channel Seven television just last week, long time bee farmer Daniel Gutierrez of San Ignacio had this to say "I have worked more than 30 years with the bees and at the time when we started out we were producing up to 60 drums of honey for the year. After we were wiped out after they had this eradication of marijuana fields - that (is) when they wiped out all the bee hives and from then it never came back." The pressure from the US was apparently too great to withstand or the compensation too irresistible because in less than a year, 80 percent of all of our marijuana fields had been sprayed and much of our pristine jungles lay saturated with paraquat. Our "growing honeybee industry" was just about totally wiped out!

Not willing to lose all of their investments and labor, marijuana growers in Belize salvaged what they could of the destroyed fields and sold the toxic substance both at home and ironically, to markets in the US. The extent of the damage to our people, our wildlife and to our environment might never be fully realized but needless to say, it has been significant. I believe that it is time for us to hold the US government responsible and for us to demand some reparation for the damages caused.

Of course, our ultra conservatives continue their objections to the easing of any restrictions against marijuana; in spite of many studies debunking their arguments. Their main arguments are that firstly, it is a gateway drug and leads to the use of harder drugs. There is absolutely no evidence to support this and there are lifelong marijuana users who have never touched cocaine, meth, heroin or any type of hard drugs. If anything, what might lead to the use of hard drugs is more the unavailability of marijuana. Life is rough at times and for many, marijuana offers "a bridge over troubled waters". Unlike alcohol and tobacco, both of which are perfectly legal and which follows more of a daily pattern use, marijuana smokers tend to follow a more occasional use pattern. Studies show that marijuana users are disproportionately younger males and suggest more of a youthful experimentation pattern than that of any enduring or steady life-long pattern. The majority of marijuana users do not graduate to more dangerous drugs and most tend to wean themselves off eventually. I speak from experience here, as one who has used plenty marijuana growing up but now will not touch the stuff. Objectors also try to make a link between marijuana use and criminal behavior but that argument also has little merit. What has been proven and what makes much more sense is that the easing of marijuana laws would save the country a lot of money in enforcement expense and would free up the Police to address the real and more serious crimes. Let us be sensible and rational about this whole matter; legalize or at the very least, decriminalize. American hypocrisy should no longer dictate our local policy. Belize for Belizeans!

The Belize Times