Pubdate: Fri, 27 Jul 2012
Source: Reporter, The (Belize)
Copyright: 2012 The Reporter Belize
Contact: http://www.reporter.bz/contact-us/
Website: http://www.reporter.bz/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4991

DECRIMINALIZATION OF MARIJUANA: A WORLD ISSUE

Whether marijuana is glorified by musicians, scorned by churches, 
revered as a religious sacrament or outlawed as a drug, the only 
constant about marijuana is that it is a topic of constant conflict.

A prevalent problem in the marijuana debate is that policy makers and 
public differ in their opinions about whether or not the plant should 
be classified as a "drug".

While Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is scientifically proven to have 
chemical effects consistent with that of "drug" use, marijuana is 
simply the dried leaves of a plant. When weighed against other 
substances such as cigarettes, which are processed and have a myriad 
of chemicals, marijuana, being an all-natural substance, at first 
glance doesn't seem to fit the description of a drug at all.

Faced with record high arrests, convictions and prison sentences for 
possession of marijuana, governments of the world have one by one 
began re-thinking the status of the plant, and have either considered 
decriminalization or, as has occurred in some countries, full legalization.

In Belize, it was announced on Monday, July 16, that a committee, 
chaired by former Minister of Police Doug Singh, had been 
commissioned to evaluate data on the decriminalization of marijuana 
and make recommendations on whether or not G.O.B. should lessen the 
sentences given to those found with minimal amounts of marijuana in 
their possession.

In the region, due to strain on law enforcement resources, several 
other countries have already begun their re-evaluation process. In 
Jamaica on April 11, 2011, the country's Cabinet appointed a 
ministerial commission to review the recommendations made in the 
report of the National Commission on Ganja, which was chaired by the 
late Professor Barry Chevannes and submitted in 2001.

While marijuana use is popular in Jamaica, its status is still 
illegal, and sanctionable by law; however, the recent step to 
evaluate the 2001 report shows signs that Jamaica is re-assessing its position.

In Brazil, the "Drug Law: It's Time to Change" campaign is an 
initiative launched by the Brazilian Commission on Drugs and 
Democracy, which aims to gather one million signatures in support of 
a bill that will be introduced in congress during the second half of 2013.

Even former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso (1995-2003), has 
rallied behind this campaign that seeks to amend the country's 
anti-drug policy act (Law 11,343/2006), which makes no distinction 
between users and dealers. Accounts have been posted on the Internet 
by Brazilian citizens who say that under the current law they have 
been given sentences, which are considerably excessive for only a 
small amount of marijuana in their possession.

Mexico is a country frustrated with its war on drugs to the point 
where current and former presidents are calling for the drug policies 
to change. The death toll has risen to 28,000 since 2006, with more 
than 6,000 people killed in Ciudad Juarez, just across from El Paso, 
since 2008. Earlier this year, former Mexican president Felipe 
Calderon said he would support a national debate on the issue of 
legalization, reversing his previous stance on the subject. However, 
he underscored that he does not favor legalization, especially while 
the U.S., the world's largest consumer of drugs, maintains prohibition.

The United States, which is one of the largest marijuana importers in 
the world, simultaneously has one of the loudest battle cries in the 
war against drugs. The US, since 2008, have had 17 of their 52 states 
legalize marijuana for medicinal use. In 2009 the U.S. cut Jamaica's 
financial aid for anti-drug operations by half because it claimed 
Jamaica to be the largest exporter of marijuana to the U.S. The 
United States is scheduled to have a forum on the legalization of 
marijuana in Colorado, scheduled for sometime in October this year.

In Canada, while marijuana is still illegal, the Prime Minister of 
Canada, Stephen Harper said at the Summit of the Americas in April, 
that the country would revisit the existing drug policies. Harper 
expressed that he believes their current anti drug campaign isn't 
working. Several independent surveys have been conducted in Canada 
since the statement, but a definite publication on what the Canadian 
government will do and when it will do it is still pending.

Marijuana use has been so much a concern of the world that the United 
Nations made the 1988 UN convention against the illicit traffic in 
narcotic drugs, banding together the countries of the world in the 
war against drugs. The signing of the convention has placed 
significant pressure on countries which now, due to the rapid rise in 
marijuana use and the effects it has on their criminal justice 
system, wish to rethink their drug policies.

The arguments for and against the decriminalization of marijuana vary 
form climate to climate however the substance of each when simplified 
seem to exhibit similar patterns. Primarily people are concerned with 
the Pandoras' box effect that the act of decriminalizing would pave 
the way for eventual legalization. This theory examines the 
possibility that decriminalization is a form of compromise, showing 
weakness in a governments' resolve to combat crime.

Those of this view believe that once decriminalization takes effect, 
the advocates of legalization will become even more zealous and apply 
even more pressure to which the governments would have shown they are 
not prepared to endure. Those of the contrary believe that the issues 
of decriminalization and legalization are separate issues and should 
be handled as such. They stated that decriminalization is beneficial 
to law enforcement because it frees up time and valuable resources to 
be pursue more serious pursuits.

There are also concerns that decriminalization will bolster the ego 
of those disposed to break the law. With the penalties being softer, 
they will carry on more blatant infractions making sure that they 
have just the prescribed about by law to keep within the comfort zone 
of the decriminalized penalties.

The Reporter spoke with Doug Singh, chairman of the newly established 
committee, on the pro-decriminalization arguments. Singh explained 
that when idea came from the Ministry it was a part of the 
second-chance policy, which was being drafted.

Singh went on to say that when the figures were analyzed a great 
portion of convicted persons were on possession charges for 
marijuana, many of them youths who had just made bad decisions in life.

These convictions brought them criminal records, which later made it 
difficult to find jobs, get visas to go on vacation or to go abroad 
to receive education or training, and overall trapped them within an 
unforgiving system.

The second chance policy would, in these cases, wipe clean those who 
had records for summary offences, particularly those who were 
convicted of possession of marijuana, in an attempt to assist them in 
becoming productive citizens.

He also said he would not respond to the Pandoras' box criticism 
because there is insufficient data to prove that such a theory could 
actually materialize, but welcomed anyone with conclusive data to 
bring it forward for discussion. No response would also be given to 
the thought of marijuana being a gateway drug, also because of 
insufficient data.

While there is no shortage of data on the pros and cons of marijuana 
use, the availability of such data as well as the sources that 
produce them, do more harm than good on occasion by not taking 
objective stances when the studies are produced. Coalitions for the 
legalization of marijuana will conduct research on the effects of 
marijuana, but often come into question because the public can 
predict that that particular study will reflect minimal if any 
negative effects. Like wise, anti-marijuana groups will produce 
reports characterizing marijuana as the devil in a plant, without 
accrediting the possibility of positive side effects. The on-going 
battle of the facts rages on seemingly without end, where a new 
report emerges every few months to contradict some earlier report.

Belize is fortunate to have not signed the 1988 UN convention and 
therefore can freely rethink its policies without running a foul of 
any international commitments. Once the committee has finished 
consulting the public and has assessed its data, it will make its 
recommendations to GOB.

While the end of the story is anyone's guess from there, it is 
notable that the U.S., the Caribbean and Canada are still 
deliberating on the topic, putting Belize in good company. One thing 
remains certain. Once the committee has issued its recommendations, 
if the GOB does decriminalize marijuana, the conclusive data that 
Singh spoke of will be readily available in a relatively short period of time.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom