Use, not abuse!
That, said Senator Verla Depeiza, should have been the focus of the marijuana debate in the Caribbean.
Speaking at a panel discussion on the issue on Tuesday evening at the National Library in Bridgetown, the lawyer asserted that as a result, the region lost the opportunity to be at the vanguard of harnessing the powers and potential of the plant.
“At the end of the day, when we think about . . . the 40 years we have missed had we allowed ourselves to open our mind and expand what we thought we knew, where could we be today?” she asked, stressing that she was speaking in her capacity as a lawyer and criminologist.
Stating that individuals could be addicted to other legal substances, Depeiza added: “I am not just talking about tobacco and alcohol. You can be addicted to pretty much anything. There is use and abuse and we need to get to the point where we can separate the two and need to deal with [abuse]. But, it is not to throw the baby out with the bath water and have ourselves in the position where we do not [talk about] the use.”
In terms of medical use of marijuana, she said parallels could be drawn with cocaine, since it was utilised by dentists “in a controlled environment”.
