Legalise ganja!

With several American states legalising the use of cannabis for medical purposes one Barbadian businessman is advocating the Caribbean should move to capitalise on the economic benefits to be derived from production of the plant in the region.

United States-based accountant and hotel owner Hal Martin says there is “a tremendous amount of economic benefit to be gained from the use of cannabis”.

He told the Saturday Sun: “We in the Caribbean have the best quality cannabis in the world, especially in a place like St Vincent with the rich soil from the volcanic ash” and he claimed US pharmaceutical companies were “coming on board and purchasing large tracts of land in preparation for this new movement.”

He also called for smoking of the drug to be decriminalized, arguing there were far too many young men incarcerated here for the offence.