Caribbean L 20 ife, Nov. 29-Dec. 5, 2019
TRINIDAD’S MAJOR WEED POLICY
or sacramental use. The bill will forbid
police from arresting such persons.
As a safeguard, government has
banned use in public spaces like workplaces
and schools and fines of up to
US$40,000 and a five-year jail term
have been proposed for violators of
these safeguard clauses.
A special cannabis authority will be
established to administer a licensing
and registration regime aimed at legitimizing,
establishing accountability and
transparency for people using marijuana
for religious, sacramental, medicinal
commercial purposes. The authority
will also deal with issues of research,
farm cultivation, processing, retail systems,
the transportation of marijuana
and export among other areas.
“These bills represent the work of a
progressive government dedicated in
the mission of getting it done. Whilst
others have slumbered we’ve toiled.
We shall get it done,” Attorney General
Faris Al Rawi said as he debated in parliament.
“While cannabis growth and
its use has desirous implications for the
national purse and will surely be welcomed
by the medical patient and religious
communities, government will
curtail opportunities for abuse of the
new licensing regime. This is effected
through the criminalization of behaviors
which adversely impact the administration,
breaches of confidentiality,
unlawful disclosure of information, and
undisclosed interest in businesses seeking
a license and dealing with cannabis
without a valid li cense.”
CARICOM governments had back
in 2014 decided to establish a commission
to study the issue and recommend
a way forward both in keeping
with worldwide trends to decriminalize
and commercialize marijuana use
and cultivation and to stop the criminalization
of youths for possession for
a mere spiff of marijuana for personal
use rather than trafficking.
In neighboring Barbados, a major
row has broken out between government
and the Rastafarian community
because of a proposal from AG
Dale Marshal that Rastas will have to
obtain a special permit to cultivate the
herb for their own use. The document
will also cover the use of marijuana
away from places of worship. Authorities
are also considering legislation for
medicinal purpose use.
But even as the row rages on, Prime
Minister Mia Mottley said that the time
is not necessarily near for the island to
legalize or decriminalize recreational
use without a referendum.
“We said in this same manifesto
that we were going to legalize medicinal
cannabis and go to referendum on
recreational cannabis. Mr. Speaker,
it is to my knowledge that the leader
of the Democratic Labor Party (DLP)
supports the decriminalization of recreational
cannabis. The leader of the
opposition and myself have spoken
but I am confident that the truth is
that there is far more consensus on
these issues in this country than people
might think,” Mottley said. “All
Barbadians will have a chance to be
able to go and to vote and they will
have the chance to say, ‘Yes, it should
be decriminalized or no, it should not
be decriminalized. With everything
else, we shall live by the result of that
verdict.”
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Tenants take landlord to task
your family, enjoy time with your family
and leave the families who pay rent in
the cold.
“This is unacceptable, and we are
calling for action this week,” Myrie continued.
“Sharp Management, you are on
notice.”
Menchaca said “the audacity of Sharp
Management to deny their tenants at
545 46th Street heat and gas while
charging some more in rent is beyond
reprehensible.
“It is cruel, inhumane and completely
unacceptable,” he said. “Their actions
capture a citywide trend of landlords
thinking they can treat tenants in working
class, immigrant, and minority communities
with less respect than other
neighborhoods. Not in Sunset Park. And
not on my and State Senator Myrie’s
watch.
“We will not stop fighting for the tenants
until heat and gas is restored,” he
added.
“Gas must be restored to this building,”
Chimed in Ortiz. “I’ve contacted
state housing officials and the city buildings
and housing officials responsible
for dealing with inexcusable situations
like this.”
Rep. Velázquez (D-NY) said “it is absolutely
unacceptable that these rent paying
families have been without gas for
more than two months.
“Now, we are approaching Thanksgiving
and rather than enjoying a home
cooked meal, our neighbors are having
to worry about how they will stay warm,”
she said. “Sharp Management needs to
correct this situation immediately, and
I will continue working with Sen. Myrie
and Councilman Menchaca to remedy
these problems.”
Myrie said he and Menchaca’s staff
learned about the outage at a Tenant
Association meeting last Thursday.
Tenants said that the gas has been out
since mid-September and that they are
awaiting repairs for other issues such as
a leaking roof.
City records show that the building
currently has three outstanding violations,
according to Myrie.
He noted that, most recently, on Nov.
15, the city’s Department of Buildings
issued a violation for work with no permit
on a gas line.
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