EDITOR, The Tribune

The good Pastor Cedric Moss is nothing if not consistent. Unfortunately, he consistently views debates in the public square through the prism of extreme puritanism.

While he seldom makes knee-jerk reactions, he often refuses to appreciate that the teachings of the Bible do not require us to live our 21st century lives in accordance with social norms of the first century.

The pastor waded into the debate on the legalisation of cannabis. Fair enough. The views of the church are important in public fora. But then his argument became discombobulated.

Who are we to question the sacraments of any religion, let alone Rastafarianism. But it’s a red herring to use as an argument for legalisation, the “blessing” it would bestow on the Rastas. It might come as a shock to the pastor to learn that not all Rastas smoke weed, just as not all Christians drink wine – recreational or sacramental.

The debate is over whether people who have reached the age of majority have the right to partake in the recreational use of cannabis, hopefully outside the public square and not in proximity to children.

Governments often follow the fashion of the day and for a while it was politically correct to make illegal any and all contact with cannabis even if it brought peace and relief to those suffering from debilitating illness. Now, the public pendulum seems to be swinging towards the centre and the government is scrambling to catch up.

The social costs of continuing with the policy of locking up everybody have long outweighed the risk that some will overindulge and that others will need crisis intervention.

Alcoholism is a very real problem for some, but it doesn’t prohibit the sale of intoxicating liquor. Cigarette smoke unleashes harmful carcinogens into the immediate environs of the smoker but still we permit its sale, albeit with modest, but often ignored warning of potential harmful effects.

Gambling can be addictive for some, yet we permit it in the open and try to intervene when some become addicted and go off the rails.

Prescription drugs are abused, and many are complicit in writing scripts for Xanax and other drugs to “help patients cope”.

I invite Pastor Moss to consider the young lives that have been ruined because they were found to be in possession of ounces of cannabis. The current law takes discretion out of the hands of the arresting police and the desk sergeant (even though it miraculously allows considerable leeway for the children of the well-connected).

We must do away with the notion that only the children of the poor smoke cannabis. Most can hardly afford it. It is those people of means and privilege who, studies show, buy the most weed and who would benefit the most from its legalisation, although it is not polite for them to publicly endorse legislation or, God forbid, be seen at one of the public debates on the issue.

We have robbed so many of our young people of the opportunity to realise their full potential because of the criminal record they attract when convicted for possession. With a criminal record they can kiss goodbye to visas to go and study abroad or in some cases to even being considered for certain jobs.

Any equation has losers and winners (or, if you’ll pardon the shameless pun, highs and lows). The current status quo makes us all losers. A change in the law produces many winners.

The so-called “weed man” gets squeezed out while the Treasury gets to collect an excise tax and VAT on legal cannabis.

The Commissioner of Police gets more cops on the beat to deal with violence and injury crimes after he disbands the weed task force and redeploys them.

The prison population should drop when those doing time for minor cannabis offences get released and their records, and the records of those who previously were convicted, get expunged.

The task force looking at possible legalisation needs to hear from more people and Pastor Moss is correct in saying that the voices of health care workers must be heard in the debate.

Finally, the government should still prohibit the use of this country as a transshipment point for weed and other drugs and the export and import of the substance should be strictly controlled.

Why not set up special weed farms on designated areas of a Family Island (heavily protected against poachers, etc.). That will be one sure-fire way to get young people interested in farming.

The task force and the stakeholders should walk, not run towards the inevitable decision. The Rastas should rescind their ill-advised legal campaign and become a fully vested member of the constructive campaign for change.

The final piece of legislation should be so well crafted as to cause even Pastor Moss to say: Amen.

THE GRADUATE

Nassau

July 19, 2019