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Legalize It? Or Decriminalize It?

Before we go into our next story, we warn you that it discusses and displays use of marijuana which may be unsuitable for young audiences. So if you have children around the TV, you might want to ask them out of the room or change the channel.

No doubt, the hot topic this week is decriminalizing marijuana - after Government announced that it had named a committee to explore the subject.

And the reason it's a hot topic - is because, frankly, based only on anecdotal evidence, we'd say that marijuana is very widely used in Belize.

You can argue over whether that is a good or bad thing, but it is a real thing - and thus the committee has been tasked to figure out what to do with all the casual users - those who risk imprisonment - and sometimes end up in jail, just for a joint.

Doug Singh - who first named a committee to explore decriminalization when he was police minister, now, finds himself chairing that committee.

He says they started by looking at decriminalization laws in other countries where anywhere from three to 25 grammes was decriminalized. He said the Belize model that is being explored falls somewhere in the middle.:..

Hon. Dough Singh, Chairman - Committee Looking Into Decriminalization
"We found that the quantities varies from like 3 grammes to 25 grammes I think was the highest that we have seen from a decriminalization and the average seems to be around 7-10 grammes and so we thought that we will look at the average and look at the arguments associated with the average."

Jules Vasquez reporting
This is ten grammes of Mexican weed known as Oaxaca - because it is high grade it sells for fifty dollars. Half of this would be used to roll what's considered a large marijuana joint which, being high grade, is hard to hold down.

They also sell a gramme - like this - for five dollars - under the proposed decriminalization model these amounts would no longer be treated differently from considered possession.

Hon. Dough Singh
"We are looking at the possibility of a small quantity. As the law currently exist if you have in your possession 60 grammes or above that is considered trafficking and it carries a certain fine. If it is less than 60 grammes - at this point in time that's possession and the fine for possession is up to $50,000.00 and or up to 3 years imprisonment. What we are looking to doing is in the class of possession is to take till of that 60 grammes - 10 grammes and say perhaps we ought not to look at making this thing punitive - it should carry no jail sentence, it should probably carry a fine and no criminal record."

But it would still be an offence

Hon. Dough Singh
"In others words it doesn't means that you should be able to walk down the street and smoke a joint as you wish. That will still be illegal, it's like alcohol, you can drink it in a bar and you can drink it under certain control circumstances. There is something called public drinking - you really ought not to be walking down the street with a beer in your hand or rum and coke and drinking it, so it's still illegal under certain circumstances or with rum and coke and drinking it. So it's still illegal under certain circumstances."

"The proposal is that it be the same circumstances with this small portion of marijuana. There is a distinction between legalization and decriminalization; legalization means that no penalty is adhered under certain circumstances, in other words if you are caught with a small quantity perhaps no penalty will be adhered to it. Legalization doesn't mean that; it means that it is still illegal, it's just like driving without a driver's license or with an expired driver's license is illegal but didn't take you to jail for doing that. What we want to do is to ensure that we can deal with the infraction responsibly, so it's not going to be illegal, it's just that the penalties for that small portion will be different from what it currently is."

Whichever way, it is good news to Rastafarians like Ras Ruben who take the herb as a religious rite and feel that their sacrament has been criminalized.

Ras Ruben - Rastafarian
"For me to be criminalize because of my sacrament is unjust, so I feel like it is about high time that we take steps towards decriminalization and that is just the first step because decriminalization does not necessarily mean that that it will be legalize and we understand that. We understand the lingo that they are using. Decriminalization just simply means that they are not going to persecute us as a criminal, but they are not going to legalize marijuana, so it is good that they have open the forum. If we have done it, it would have never gotten the respect. But you see Doug Singh - I have to applaud him because he is taking the necessary steps to take this scrutiny off our lives because of marijuana."

But the fact is that most persons charged for marijuana are poor - and those are often times the ones who end up in jail:

Hon. Dough Singh
"I am not a user of marijuana. I do know though a lot of people that use it. I know people across the social and economic landscape that uses it. It saddens me to see that the people you do find incarcerated who used it are the de-marginalize people and not the people on the upper economic scale etc. which shows that the way the law is being enforced is certainly not balance and fair. That is one position, I think there ought to be equity under any circumstances or there ought to had to be fair treatment under any circumstances, but beyond that I think evidence is showing that marijuana use is no worse than alcohol use and it is treated so absolutely differently. Once again a level playing field ought to be afforded."

And if they seem to kind of have their minds made up - that may be because the committee by and large is of a more liberal bent:

Jules Vasquez
"It seems that the group is a more liberal minded."

Hon. Dough Singh
"That is correct. It wasn't so by choice, it was very difficult to try to find somebody who was so vehemently against the decriminalization of marijuana. Since the consultation though, individuals have come forward who have strong positions against decriminalization. I was advise that Mrs. Karen Bodden who is an educator and who had been the head of the national drug council has very strong positions and we've ask her to join the committee because I believe that balance is necessary in the committee. The committee admit-ably has currently 8 members but of that 8 members there are 2 people who admit to smoking marijuana."

But the decision is not theirs to make, that would be left to the political directorate and ultimately the legislature.

Hon. Dough Singh
"I am not the one making the recommendations; it's the committee that is making the recommendation. If there is a proposal put forward it then goes as form of a Cabinet decision paper and to whether or not to consider this. Cabinet may decide to just not consider it at all or they may decide to consider it and amend it in some fashion to incorporate certain ideas that they may have. If there is any agreement whether it be in its original form or amended form it then has to go back to the ministry where it is written up in a certain way and sends to the Sol. Gens' office for legislative amendments for drafting. Then it goes back to Cabinet and Cabinet looks at the legislation. Through all that process there continues to be the opportunity for input and for lobbying by any groups and individuals. So the consultation process for the recommendation is not limited to just now, even thru the legislative process there is the opportunity for consultation. The length and breadth of consultation is not limited to what we are doing at this point in time."

But for Ra Ruben, the logic is simple:

Ras Ruben
"How long have we been on earth as human beings? How long as it been illegal for human beings? If you look at the statistics it's less than 60 years that they are criminally persecute us. So the people need to understand the whole schematics behind it and understand the holistic..."

Jules Vasquez
"Do you think people have been smoking herb from the beginning of time?"

Ras Ruben
"From the first man came on earth we are giving sacrifice with herb. Herb is a part of our ritual as human beings."

And while his views are very pro-weed, we'll have an opposing view next week.

Singh has extended the time for which they will take suggestions from the public. The deadline should have been today, but you can still send your mails to [email protected] or drop them at #3 Mapp Street.

The eight person committee has the membership of the Legal Counsel for Police Department, Rhea Rogers from the Ministry of National Security, Charles Bartlett Hyde, Ya Ya Marin Coleman, Jeremy Spooner, Katie Valk and Susan Fuller.

PUP Senator Karen Bodden told us that she has been invited to a meeting as a dissenting voice - as a trained drug educator who believes that marijuana use has an adverse effect on youths.

Channel 7

from a friend....

Dear Mr. Singh,

Thank you for the opportunity to voice our views to the Committee considering the decriminalisation of marijuana in Belize.

I am a permanent resident of Belize, a registered voter through Commonwealth membership and a property owner. I hope to become a citizen soon. I love Belize and care tremendously about its future. I understand that the use of marijuana is a controversial issue. Many believe it is a gateway to harder drugs that may be more harmful, some are concerned about its availability to children, while others are opposed on the basis of moral or health grounds. All of these are important and should be weighed carefully as I know, the esteemed members of the Committee will be doing.

My views are as follows. There is no doubt that the recreational use of any substance, whether that substance be alcohol, tobacco, prescription medicine, marijuana or other illegal drugs has the potential to be harmful. We also must accept that the addiction and associated abuse issues have a detrimental effect on society as a whole. Reflecting on attempts at prohibition and their apparent lack of success and, more recently, upon the 'war on drugs' and it's abysmal failure, it is imperative that we accept that criminalising drug users is neither effective nor beneficial.

People will use alcohol and drugs, no matter how severe the penalty for doing so. One only has to look at some of the conservative Muslim nations, where there are heavy penalties for drug and alcohol use to see that they are ineffective. Therefore, the criminalisation of a very popular recreational drug, especially one that is culturally important to some, is a fruitless measure.

I do question the logic of decriminalisation as opposed to legalisation for the following reasons:
1. Marijuana users will still be forced to obtain drugs from drug dealers, who will be criminals. This means that they will be associating with criminals and therefore more vulnerable to becoming involved in further criminal activity or exposed to harder, more dangerous drugs.
2. It will still be something that is a 'hidden' activity, denying those that need help in regards to abuse easy and ready access to care and treatment.
3. It will be impossible to enforce the way in which marijiuana is sold, continuing to place children at risk. When a substance is legal, control, monitoring and enforcement of distribution reduces this risk dramatically.
4. The profits will continue to remain in the hands of drug dealers and criminals, funding further criminal activity.
5. The government will see no real benefit except for more room in their jails. A country struggling financially, such as Belize, should be taking a radical approach to collecting taxes on marijuana sales and cultivation under government control. This would create jobs and could become a very profitable industry.
6. The opportunity for marijuana tourism, while distasteful to some, is no more (probably less) problematic than alcohol. Stoned tourists are likely to be a lot less problematic than drunk ones and it is likely that there would be an influx of new tourists coming to enjoy our beautiful country, while being able to participate in what, we all must admit, is an age old practice.
7. Finally, many use marijuana for medical reasons and there is more and more evidence that this has a sound basis in science. Criminalising the sick, is preposterous.


Again, I thank you for the opportunity to present my own views on this issue and very much look forward to the outcome of the Committee's findings.

Warm regards,

I am in agreement with this well-stated position.
Legalize marijuana!

Baby steps. Decriminalize and then work towards legalization. To try and legalize now would bring down the wrath of the US government and stall progress for years.

Decriminalize it? The people weigh in

Last week Monday the nation was hit with a press release from the Government of Belize's Ministry of National Security stating that it had authorized a committee to look into the decriminalization of marijuana. Chairman of the committee and former Minister of Police, Dough Sing, the spokesman of the decriminalization committee told the media that the committee had been organized some time ago and had sent letters to several organizations requesting feedback on the proposal. The invitation to have the public participate may have been triggered by comments made in the house by Said Musa, former leader of the Position, Prime Minister and area rep for the Fort George division.

Hon. Said Musa, Former Prime Minister, PUP
We all know that we have a Police Department that spends its time going after little people with a stick of weed, spending resources and all that, when in fact why are they not concentrating their efforts in going after the big drug guns who facilitate this drug trade and corrupt the entire system? Surely the time has come to decriminalize that small quantity of marijuana. Why don't you do it? Why go after the little people.

The prime Minister's wrap-up during the second day of the debate spoke directly to musa's comments earlier in the debate. From his comments, it appears he is aware of marijuana's effects . Here are those comments.

Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
What was most instructive was his formula for solving the crime and violence problem in Belize - legalize marijuana - that is what the ex Prime Minister came up with as his sole policy prescription for solving crime and violence. I don't know about anyone else, but it made me wonder if that is so he can do in the open, what perhaps he well has been doing in secret all these years. If I am right Mr. Speaker, it would explain the bizarre behavior that is so much a part of his history - the utter lack of any political or personal compass, the signing of the Telemedia accommodation agreement and the UHS guarantee, the Belize Bank loan notes and settlement deeds and the illegal income tax exemption to every profit extracting foreign millionaire manager of the Ashcroft alliance.

What followed Monday's press release was a media blitz by Chairman Dough Singh who confirmed among other things that the 8 man committee includes 2 weed smokers. According to Singh, the committee is considering decriminalizing around 10grams of marijuana; this amounts to some 10 joints or "roach" as it Is called in the streets. He encouraged Citizens to make comments to the committee via an email address [email protected]. PlusTV encouraged its viewers to copy their comments to [email protected] so that we could get a firsthand pulse of what Belizeans are telling the Decriminalization Committee. The response was quite overwhelming; some 115 persons copied their comments to PlusTV. Of the total we received, 94 are against Criminalization, with 11 of them requesting more time for education. Of the Total, 15 requested more time without giving their opinion on decriminalization, while only 5 of our respondents said they favored criminalization.

Here is a sample of what some of them are saying:

Delvorine an educator with a Masters in Education says "Students will use marijuana more freely, behavioral problems will increase and learning ability will be highly affected."

SAMUEL who is a LAWYER, argued that "If it is the view of the Belize Government that the abuse of cannabis is detrimental to society (which I believe it is) then I am convinced that the criminal law is the best method of communicating this to the public at large and particularly to young people. If there is no threat of sanction then society effectively is being told that there is nothing wrong with doing it."

"Don't make this error." Says FATHER MARK, a priest! "The take home message would be: marijuana use is okay, healthy and harmless. For the vast majority of users and cases those three things are far far from true."

Former Mayor of Belmopan,Tony Chanona says "Rather than 'legalize/decriminalize' the possession and use of marijuana we should review this law so that the administration of justice by our courts can allow for a judge or magistrate to employ discretionary powers (just as the laws of Belize allow Ministers to do) so that the 'marginalized and the indigent' are not swept into prison without due process and consideration."

One of the 5 who agreed with Decriminalization of marijuana, Ozaeta says.. "Indeed, punitive measures designed to merely punish rather than to help someone seem to be founded on negativity. , the decriminalization of a hazardous and illicit drug such as marijuana can be considered a step in the right direction."

Several people submitted their own direct and indirect experiences because of marijuana. One Person spoke about weed being sold at a field day at her kids's school, while another spoke about a neighborhood shootout in San Perdo, Ambergris Caye, over marijuana turf. Noteworthy, is that the RAND Corporation out of the United States states that increased availability of marijuana leads to drastic reduction in price. Reduction in price is the KEY indicator to increased access by youth. For Every 10% decrease in price, there is an increased addiction in youths between 3-5%... Increased access by the youth (such as Standard 6) has produced greater Addiction of marijuana and hence greater exposure to other drugs.

PlusTV

The Case Against Weed Decriminalization

On Friday's newscast you heard from Doug Singh - the former police minister who's now the chairman of the committee to examine the decriminalization of marijuana.

He said the committee is only considering the options - but also added that most of the members of the 8 persons committee are pro-decriminalization - including two members who are regular users of marijuana.

And that's why he's invited PUP Senator Karen Bodden to lend her considerable experience and knowledge to the committee.

She meets with the group for the first time on Thursday - but spoke to us today. She said that the public, national conversation about marijuana use is one that she's been waiting to hear for a long time She's happy that it's finally started but, So far, not so happy with the direction it's going. She told us more:..

Senator Karen Bodden
"Today I am happy because I believe that we are at that point where that conversation that takes place in an honest, open manner. For me I am excited because what I have been trying to do for decades as you put it - I can finally see it happening. I can finally see parents throughout that period - have suffered from all the ills of marijuana use. In particular parents who have come to me seeking assistance for their child are now able to better understand the conversation and basically decriminalization should have been at the end of a continuum, so to speak. Had we been responding as we ought to have been responding to the data presented throughout the years - it would have been a time now when people would have had access to the right education, where students coming out of school would be armed with skills that they could make decisions, where the society would not feel that the lesser burden is just to decriminalize it and get them off your back because that seems to be how people start to feel - that we are so caught up in this marijuana issue that we have no way out and all that would not have been happening at the pace that it is happening today where in my mind its being manage in a haste that doesn't make much sense."

"So yes, over the years we could have form the foundation and the foundation would have been prevention education. This is where I believe that if the committee is serious it cannot just focus on decriminalization, cannot, because that would be adding another injustice to the same people that they are targeting to help. It's not right. Most of the young people who will jump on the decriminalization bandwagon have very little education or very little information about what it is that they are jumping on the bandwagon for. All they see is that "the Babylon (police) can't harass me no more because this is so and so and Doug Singh is a big man because he does so and so." buts it's not fair, they are manipulating the ignorance and the lack of information and that it not right."

Jules Vasquez
"You think that smoking marijuana is a bad thing?"

Senator Karen Bodden
"Bad is an operative word and so I want to look at the dynamics actually. From my experience working in the schools and still doing so because I do drug counseling as well with families and when I see where a student at 16 years old goes on the street and he purchases marijuana, but he has never smoke "hydro" he just smoke the regular cannabis and when that child finish smoking that child gets so paranoid that he walks the floor for 3 nights without sleeping; he can't sleep and he is look for edge weapons to take care of his family because they are a threat to him in his state of mind. At 16, then I see the mother coming into my office with her son in that condition. There is no way that I can sit in front of you and say smoking marijuana is no big deal and when I have to take that child to the psych unit and then drive the child up to Belmopan where the child is then kept for 8 days in the psych unit before being release so that they can detox and I take that child home and to date that child has still not return to the form of normalcy, so he is still not in school."

"Last year when I had to physically hold one of the students right here because a few of the girls got together and decided that they were going to make marijuana fudge, this child had never had marijuana before and so when she ate the fudge she just got so paranoid that she was attempting to fit herself through a window. Jules when I see those things, those are the reasons why I am as passionate as I am. I have very interest in hearing what Switzerland is doing or what Australia is doing, very little. I read the statics for information but I am more interested in what is right for Belize, what is right for us. What is the national vision for us? What is it that we want? Our country to accomplish and is this the right way for us to go about doing it. So when I summarize all that in looking at the effects that I have had to deal with over the years and our children, when I am called to a primary school where a six year old is addicted to marijuana because the family has this ritual that they go through - religious ritual and the child was a part of all that. At 6 years old, the teacher was frustrated, she couldn't get the child to concentrate, couldn't get the child to sit still and eventually the principal decided that if they talk to this child, what are some of the issues that this child has and one of the first thing that came out of the child's mouth was 'Ms. if you want me to sit down you just have to give me some weed, because only when I smoke weed I am able to sit down.' At 6 years old, he didn't understand what was happening to him. When they call me in to deal with that - I have 2 cases like that at that same age. when they call me in to deal with the situation and we sent for the parents and we sat down with the parents and for me to know that they love their child but because of ignorance of the whole marijuana issue - it's based on hearsay, it's based on people saying that it's no big deal, people tell you that God make it and so forth. God also made Poison Ivy, but would you hug up a plant of Poison Ivy because God made it?"

Jules Vasquez
"What effect do you think it will have on young people when they hear that 10 grammes is decriminalize?"

Senator Karen Bodden
"Jules that is scary to even perceive at this point because being in school and not just at Sadie Vernon but schools all over the country, we know that our young people are experimenting. We also know that over the years they have develop an attitude of 'if we see the police, we will run from them etc.' but now for us to go to the point where they are able to have this quantity and feel good about it because even if they are caught by the police they don't face jail time. I am also concern that some schools operate on policies. One such policy being the alcohol and drug policy for high schools and so many of the high school students are adults by chronological age and so when you say to them "well you are not allowed to have marijuana on the school compound, don't you see the drug policy, these are the consequences." How will that school carry out those consequences within this context."

"When you talk about trends - we could have identified the trend from 1998 to 2003. Within that 5 year period, you had almost a 19.1% increase in marijuana use. You went from 1.2% use among students in 1998 to 20.3% in 2003. I think we saw an increase from 1.2% to 20.3% over a 5 year period and so I believe that if we were to conduct a similar survey today in our secondary schools you would be somewhere in the vicinity of almost 1/3 of our student population who are at risk for marijuana use and that is a huge number and when you speak to many of them they will tell you I started using in primary school."

Senator Bodden is a career educator and trained drug counselor. She has been invited to be a member of the committee, but so far, she has only indicated that she is attending a meeting to make her views known.

Channel 7

Decriminalization gets private sector (Chamber) support - but only for 5 grams of weed

The Government of Belize continues to seek public input into proposals to introduce a ceiling of 10 grams of marijuana- about 10 sticks of weed-as the amount that a person can legally possess without facing a jail term.

Presently, the possession of less than 60 grams of marijuana is a criminal offence punishable by a $50,000 fine and/or up to 3 years imprisonment. The new proposal, though, suggests that for the possession of up to 10 grams of marijuana, those convicted would be subject to fines and mandatory drug education, but no imprisonment.

Public feedback was invited before a deadline of Friday, July 20, 2012, and Doug Singh, chairman of the committee appointed to look into proposals for the decriminalization of marijuana in Belize, told our newspaper that they are due to meet this Thursday to discuss the public feedback.

"If it calls for further consultation, we will do so," said Singh.

He told us that as of late last week, he had seen 58 comments, and all except two expressed support.

The Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) has consulted with its members and has told the committee that "they are for the most part receptive to supporting this initiative."

The Chamber said that if there is proper regulation and enforcement, the decriminalization of marijuana can reduce the burden on Belize's judicial and prison systems.

Kim Aikman, BCCI's Chief Executive Officer, wrote Singh in a letter dated Monday, July 16, 2012, and posted on the Chamber's website on Friday, July 20, saying that the decriminalization of marijuana is "a step in the right direction."

"We are essentially living in a country with scarce resources and a ballooning crime problem, and we believe that this initiative is a step in the right direction towards maximizing the use of our resources," Aikman's letter also said.

However, she noted, Chamber members do have some suggestions, and they ask that (1) consequences need to be regulated for non-payment of fines and for not attending mandatory drug education, (2) drug education needs to be defined, and (3) the quantity of marijuana needs to be reduced to 5 grams.

Singh has said that whereas some countries have decriminalized up to 25 grams of marijuana, their information indicates that the smallest quantity any country has decriminalized is 5 grams.

According to Singh, Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin has indicated to the committee that whereas they cannot make a pronouncement on the decriminalization proposals in particular, the judiciary is also working to improve the situation, and it is moving to put in place a separate drug court which would also deal with drug rehabilitation.

Singh said that several responses are pending, including formal input from the churches.

When Amandala contacted him today, Canon Leroy Flowers, President of the Belize Council of Churches, said that they only just received the notice requesting comment on the proposals last Tuesday, and they have asked for an extension of time in order to formulate and submit their position.

Flowers said that their members would be undertaking an independent review of the proposal and they hope to be able to submit their position within the next two weeks or so.

Amandala

Bravo, there are far more important issues for the limited resources of the Police and Courts than small amounts of marijuana for personal use...

The medical perspective on decriminalizing marijuana possession

You will have heard by now of a proposal to decriminalize the possession of a small quantity of marijuana. The pros and cons of this proposal have been and will continue to be debated; and there are strong arguments on both sides. The recreational and medicinal use are separate and distinct issues; this week, Healthy Living gets the medical facts on marijuana, its effects and one medical professional's opinion on the issue of decriminalization.

Marleni Cuellar, Reporting

By now, either by means of drug education or the glamorized drug use in pop culture, most people are exposed to marijuana and its effects. However, the effect of marijuana use varies with each individual. To find out more we spoke with Dr Fernando Cuellar to find out more about the drug.

Dr. Fernando Cuellar, Internist/Intensivist

"Actually they have been able to identify four hundred and eighty different substances in marijuana. Of course the one that pops out is the T.H.C. The cannaboid that is the actual substance that produces the effect of a state of euphoria and wellness as one has perceived it to be."

The effect of T.H.C. on the body usually accounts for the high that marijuana users claim to experience.

Dr. Fernando Cuellar

"It infers in the normal transmission of chemicals in the brain. It makes the person, feel a sense of euphoria a feeling good about themselves, in other words it fools the brain. It makes pain, be perceived less, it can interfere with the vomit center and the nausea center in the brain and that is the benefits or the reason why they use it in certain circumstances."

Marijuana metabolizes quickly in the body, therefore the short term effects fade within hours, there is no definitive information available as to what the long term effects of marijuana use; but the research into this continues. It is noted that some people are more susceptible to the addictive nature of the drug.

Dr. Fernando Cuellar

"From the research I've done it's says its idiosyncratic you really cannot explain it you really cannot predict it who will get addicted to the drug; just like any other medication. Some people react one way to the Tylenol and other people react a different way to the same Tylenol. It's just the different chemical way you're made."

There are examples where marijuana is used for medicinal purposes. However, Dr. Cuellar implores that when talking about decriminalization that there be a clear distinction between recreational & medical marijuana use.

Dr. Fernando Cuellar

"So far what has been the buzz in Belize is the decriminalization which is a completely different aspect from medical use of marijuana. They should not even be entertained in the same conversation. It's a whole different thing. Medical use of marijuana is when it is prescribed by a physician or those who are in the authority to prescribe medication or certain specific circumstances and quite frankly. My research has for passed day has led me to [find out] that more and more the list for medical use of marijuana is getting shorter not like a decade ago where the list was so long. But I think consensually they have decided that it is helpful with multiple sclerosis, it's helpful in stimulating appetite in certain wasting syndromes like HIV/Aids and pain control."

As for his personal opinion on decriminalization as an experienced physician; he sees other areas that are more pertinent at this time.

Dr. Fernando Cuellar

"My opinion on this is that we have bigger fishes to fry in Belize, this unfortunate distraction I'd want to us to be talking about forensic medicine if we really want to put our country forward.

Marleni Cuellar

"Are you concerned at all at about the health implications?"

Dr. Fernando Cuellar

"I would be more concerned about alcohol use. Ok. Because I have seen alcohol doing more damage than marijuana."

Channel 5

I am on the Committee and research showed too few people in jail soley for small amounts for that to be a consideration in discussions to decrim. The focus is, does someone in possession of 10 grams or less, deserve to have a criminal record that will impede future employment, educational opportunities and travel abroad. We have extended the dealine for email discussion to Aug 30, so pls contribute yours

[email protected]