…hoping for backing on decriminalisation of small quantities of cocaine
The Alliance For Change (AFC) is of the view that if so advised by an advisory council, they would consider decriminalising possession of not only small amounts of marijuana, but also cocaine.
At a press conference at the AFC’s headquarters on Friday, AFC Member of Parliament Michael Carrington addressed the issue. Carrington, who is spearheading the bill to decriminalise possession of small amounts of marijuana, was asked about the drug’s notorious counterpart.
“When I was looking at the law in terms of Section 5, you have small amounts of cocaine, like two grams, in terms of possession. When I was looking at it, I said watch, we deal with this one first, in terms of the cannabis. We deal with this first, and then we go to the advisory council.”
“If we get the advisory council established, then they will do a lot of studies to see how we could deal with the other areas. Because to jail someone in terms of the two grams or one gram of cocaine, for that period of time, I think the best place for that individual is in a rehab centre.”
Meanwhile, the AFC is hopeful it will receive unilateral support for its bill seeking to decriminalise possession of marijuana in small quantities. This is notwithstanding recent statements made by coalition partner A Partnership for National Unity.
Minister of State Joseph Harmon had struck a note of caution when speaking on the matter. On the other hand, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo had made known his support for the non-custodial sentences for persons caught with small amounts of marijuana.
However, according to Carrington, there was likely to be support from both sides of the house for the bill.
“I’m looking for a conscious vote in Parliament. We’ll have from both sides, AFC will support the bill but we will have votes coming from both sides. I don’t know how much. But whatever takes place in Parliament, I hope good judgement takes place in terms of the individuals. Because some people see a person smoking as a very bad thing… but people drink and do all sorts of things.”
“And there will be a percentage of people who will do things that look bad. But we have to find a way in terms of shaping them back into reality. We know smoking is not good. But jailing a person for smoking is also not good. I think we’ll have persons from both sides coming across, in terms of supporting the bill.”
Carrington noted that provisions for rehabilitation and education will have to accompany the measure. This, he said, includes the setting up of a fund to aid in rehabilitating former drug addicts.
Cocaine
According to Section 4, (1) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, “Any person who has in his possession any narcotic or any substance represented or held out by him to be a narcotic, shall be liable (i) on summary conviction to fine or not less than $30,000, together with imprisonment for not less than three years nor more than five years.”
Section 5 (2) goes on to state that “In any prosecution for an offence under this section, where any person (other than those allowed by law) found in possession of more than (b) one gram of cocaine, the burden of proving that he is in possession of the narcotic for a purpose other than the purpose of trafficking shall be on him.”
It was only in March 2018 that the United States’ Department of State, International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR), volume two report had raised concerns about Guyana being a transit point for narcotics.
According to the US report, “Guyana is a transit country for South American cocaine destined for Europe, the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean. Cocaine is concealed in legitimate commodities and smuggled via commercial maritime vessels, air transport, human couriers, or the postal services.
“Traffickers are attracted to Guyana’s remote airstrips, porous land borders, and weak security infrastructure. Largely unregulated currency exchange houses, used to transfer funds to and from the Diaspora, pose a risk to Guyana’s [anti-money laundering] AML regime,” the report states.
There are a few countries, like Bolivia, that have taken the bold step of decriminalising cocaine. Other advanced countries, like the United Kingdom, have not dared go this route… although it can be used for medicinal purposes in certain jurisdictions.
