SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE Michael Carrington is calling on Barbadians to look at the legalisation of marijuana given its widespread use and campaigns for it to be part of main stream society.
His position, however, is that the drug must be treated as illegal until determined otherwise by the laws of Barbados.
Carrington was speaking at the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) St James North constituency branch Sunday afternoon at Weston Community Centre St James.
“I am not going to subscribe to the view that it will soon be legal, that it has medicinal use and they use it in Jamaica so turn a blind eye. I know we live in the real world and it has been legalised in some places and certain tests done,” the Speaker said.
But Carrington who came to the House of Assembly on DLP ticket for the constituency of St Michael West said legalisation was, “something that we have to confront sooner or later; we might not like it. The fact remains is that there is sufficient school of thought out there calling for its legalisation and its use is sufficiently wide spread to say ‘let us take a long hard look at this thing call marijuana and its use’.”
But he said the questions should be asked.
“In spite of what has been done in other places is this what we want for Barbados? Is this going to contribute to doing something positive for Barbados [and its youth]? If the answer is no, you don’t legalise, but to me you have to take a look at it . . . you can’t put it off any longer.”
Carrington also told the audience that included Senator Harry Husbands, who contested the St James North riding in the last election, there was an obvious problem with crime and a number of young Barbadians were falling through the cracks.
“Either they are involved in illegal activity or two they have reached the point where they are so callous and uncaring that they simply can take part in a hit and don’t think anything … “One of the things that we have to ensure [is that] we do not surrender our rights or society to law breakers and trouble makers. We have to stand up and say ‘here I am, that is wrong’ let us do something about.”
