By Robertson S. Henry and Andre de Caires From Caribbean news Now

Because of the decline of the banana industry that used to employ thousands of persons directly and indirectly, the job market has declined significantly, leaving many unemployed. Many farm labourers made the move to the construction industry when the banana industry began to shrink. This was a relatively smooth transition for many, as both jobs are labour intensive.

However, the construction industry has not been able to absorb all the migrant agricultural workers and is seasonal to say the least.

There is no draw to agricultural jobs, as they are not perceived as glamorous or financially rewarding. The banana farmer cannot be used as a poster boy for the school leaving youth. Nevertheless, the agricultural industry can provide jobs in combination with the banana, cocoa and coconut industries as well as in the fresh fruit and vegetable industry. Though there is a constant loss of agricultural land to development, a more intensive higher return per acre crop can replace the traditional agricultural model.

There is also a great need for an agricultural renaissance. With a fast growing world population and the need to feed the masses, Caribbean Community (CARICOM) governments must become proactive and begin to produce and consume more locally grown food. Nevertheless, who will grow it? The average age of a farmer is probably in the mid-30s and there are no large numbers of young people trying to get into agriculture production.

Presently, CARICOM member states import much of their food when there is potential for locally produced foods. However, how will the people produce enough food to feed the nation if no one wants to work in the agricultural field. According to the words of an Everton Blender song, “Nobody wants to plant the corn, everybody wants to raid the bar…”

This is the crisis faced, for in the islands one would find fertile soil, abundant water resources, available markets, but not enough persons to grow the food. How will the young men be encouraged to look at farming as a worthwhile choice of a career? Using marijuana as a lure, the imagination of the young men can be captured to get them to look at agriculture in a new way. Once there, they can be taught many other agricultural techniques relating to other crops.

Planted in rotation, a proud group of young farmers could be CARICOM’s lifeline to a positive, self-sustaining future. Apart from providing marijuana for its many uses – industrial, medicinal and recreational – these young farmers can produce much of the vegetables that are now imported.

International treaties that tend to be regional in nature influence a country’s drug laws. European drug laws for instance, are governed by a treaty written for all the E.U. countries, but is used just as a basic guideline for the individual country, in that every country in the EU treats drug related offences differently. Some take a more lenient stance than others do, with each country respecting the other’s individual decision to treat the law as they see it fit to do so.

International treaties influence CARICOM member states as well, one example being the Shiprider Agreement. Unfortunately, more outside forces come into play, as the US has been fighting a war on drugs for the past 30 years, which they have been losing terribly. CARICOM member states are deeply involved, as drug traffickers use the Caribbean as trans-shipment points to get cocaine from South America to the USA and Europe. Even within the Caribbean, each individual country treats the illegal drug trade differently. This would certainly be a test for the region if each CARICOM member state acted unilaterally and changed their drug laws by decriminalizing marijuana to deal with internal crime problems.

There are historical records to prove that man as far back as 5,000 years ago in India and China has used the cannabis plant. It was used primarily for industrial uses and in religious ceremonies by high priests as a vehicle to enhance the spiritual experience and for medical reasons to cure physical ailments. The plant then moved west along trade routes to the Middle East and North Africa. Back then the plant was manufactured into incense and was highly regarded by many different religious sects. Apart from its medical and religious uses, the plant also produced fibers for rope and paper and seeds were used for food and oil, making the plant one of the most important plants in human history.

Today, the plant can be found on every continent and can be manufactured into over 1,000 different products. There is a worldwide revival of the cannabis plant being used for all of its many purposes, as there is a fast growing eco-organic generation emerging that sees the many benefits of using this plant as an important resource for promoting organic lifestyles using renewable resources for sustainable development. If this plant has such a distinguished history with man over the last 5,000 years then why has it been made illegal in the last 70 years?

Even today in Christian rituals, incense is still being used in the church, although not cannabis incense. This ritual dates back millennium when cannabis incense was one of the incenses used. Apart from being used in religious ceremonies, the use of mind altering substances by high priests and shamans of religious sects has been going for thousands of years and still goes on today in India, Pakistan, North America, South America and Africa.

Cannabis is used specifically in India, Pakistan and Africa for religious ceremonies. According to many religious sects, the use of cannabis is said to enhance the spiritual consciousness of the user, opening up the mind to Godly enlightenment, and tends to assist the user to focus on more calm and spiritual thoughts and make one more appreciative of all things natural.

The Bible confirms that God created the plant as stated in Genesis Chapter 1 Verses 11 – 13 which clearly states this fact. There is no mention in the Bible of God creating drugs!

Human beings have redefined the cannabis plant as a drug to suit their own agenda. Theoretically, the way the law is written today would suggest that law enforcement personnel would have to apprehend Jesus for possession and cultivation if He did return, as the plant ultimately belongs to Him and his Father.

Research has shown that cannabis has been used for medicinal purposes for millennia. Today cannabis has been proven to be effective in combating many ailments and is used to increase the quality of life for patients suffering from severe or terminal illnesses. Some of the diseases and medical conditions that cannabis has been proven to help improve a patients quality of life or cure are MS, asthma, glaucoma, wasting syndrome in AIDS, nausea and loss of appetite in chemo patients and insomnia to name a few.

Cannabis is also being used in India to help get people addicted to heroin to kick the addiction. In Saint Lucia, marijuana is being used as an aid to get drug addicts hooked on crack cocaine to rid themselves of the habit, the theory being that if someone is going to be an addict, cannabis is much safer substance to be using than crack cocaine.

Records in CARICOM member states reveal that users of crack cocaine are heavily involved in all forms of criminal activity to finance their habit.

Apart from the scientific evidence that shows that marijuana actually helps the condition of the people with the medical ailments mentioned above, many people use cannabis as an appetite stimulant, a digestive stimulant, an antidepressant, a sexual stimulant, a stress buster and a sedative. It is no wonder that the large pharmaceutical multinational corporations also lobby to keep it illegal. If one examines the sleep aids Ambien CR and Lunesta as two examples of drugs produced by large companies, these two drugs have many severe side effects including suicidal thoughts.

Imagine that, governments sanction the use of these dangerous drugs, while completely ignoring a much safer natural substance with little or no side effects that does the same job. Here is a plant that has the potential to help many sufferers but because of misinformation, propaganda and paranoia, persons are prevented from capitalizing on its medicinal potential.

It is important to note that, according to medical literature, drug use only becomes abuse when the use of the substance significantly interferes with the user’s daily life. But if even there is no abuse, there are still health concerns associated with cannabis use.

It is important to know how marijuana became illegal in the USA, as it affects CARICOM directly. Being predominantly black, CARICOM citizens must understand that this law is shrouded in racism. Blacks and Hispanics in the U.S. were demonized and used at the time to persuade the US government to change the law.

The parties involved used the Mexicans and blacks as negative examples of who cannabis users were and the dangers they would present to the white citizens when intoxicated on cannabis, striking fear into the hearts of every white man. The truth is that the Mexicans and black Americans did and still do use cannabis.

Back in the times of the great depression in the USA, many blacks and Mexicans in the southern part of the country were using cannabis. It was nicknamed “maryjane” at the time and could be found growing wild. However, with the invention of petrochemicals, the emerging pharmaceutical and synthetic textile industry, lobbyists for the respective industries wanted the competition from industrial hemp eliminated.

Randolph Hearst, the newspaper magnate; Alslinger, the then drug czar; and Du Pont, the petrochemical pioneer, conspired to make marijuana illegal, by creating a smear campaign using blacks and Mexicans as the fall guys. They even changed the name of the plant from English to Spanish to create a darker picture; hence the name “marijuana” came into being.

Their campaign was successful and within 15 minutes of the Act being tabled in Congress, the law was passed making marijuana illegal in 1937. Now blacks account for more than 50 percent of the inmates in American prisons, even though they represent only ten percent of the population, with almost 50 percent in jail for simple possession charges.

What is even more disturbing is that CARICOM member states promote the very drug that kept their ancestors in slavery for 200 years, while denying black people an ancient African tradition.

With the stroke of a pen, CARICOM member governments can effectively eliminate thousands of potential criminals that the police would be using their time and resources to apprehend. The criminal justice system would not have to deal with people that could potentially serve jail time in already overcrowded prison systems.

The possession of flowers is a victimless non-violent crime and persons should not be given a sentence of jail time. Violent offenders must be taken off the streets. Jail cells should be reserved for people that are a threat to other citizens and to have our jail cells filled with persons who are no threat to society is a crime in itself.

Therefore, the laws of CARICOM member states as they exist today are actually helping to propagate criminals. A person with EC$5 worth of cannabis in his possession is no threat to anyone but himself. A person trying to grab the chain off another person’s neck, or break into one’s house or car is a potential murderer. These violent offenders are the kind of people that the jail cell is meant for.

Robertson S. Henry, a Saint Lucian sports journalist/photographer, has received many awards, one of them being from the International Olympic Committee in 2005. He is also a founding member of the Drugfree Club Movement in Saint Lucia in 1988.

For more on this story go to: http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/headline-Commentary%3A-Exploring-the-decriminalization-of-marijuana—Part-3-29615.html

For Parts 1 and 2 published by iNews Cayman go to “Exploring the decriminalization of marijuana” published May 7 2016 at: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/h/rtziaitq5o4r/?&th=1536109d1f488b6d&v=c

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