Dear Editor,
The letter by Timothy Jonas which is captioned “ANUG supports the call for legalisation of marijuana in Guyana,” is highly flawed and unconvincing. Such a call by ANUG (A New and United Guyana) also comes across as an unpatriotic manipulation to attract votes.
Flagrantly, ANUG fails to address the scientific influence of this substance on human behavior in the context of a profound lack of education and deep poverty, among a sea of problems in Guyana. In my view, this calculation is a pivotal frame of reference which is critically important to determine whether marijuana is suitable for legalisation at this time in Guyana. Obviously, ANUG remains clueless about the problems associated with marijuana use and misuse, particularly for a country such as Guyana.
ANUG needs to be reminded that the social, political and economic dynamics in Guyana are strikingly different from those in Canada and California where marijuana is legalised. The legalisation of this substance in those countries should never be a justification for its legalisation here. Further, ANUG needs to be informed that the recreational use of marijuana remains largely illegal in both the Netherlands and Jamaica.
ANUG also needs to be reminded that the legalisation of marijuana will never reduce the prison population in the face of deep poverty in Guyana. Legalisation is guaranteed to produce the opposite effect. At the very least, it can be reasoned that legalisation under current conditions will dramatically send more Guyanese into prison via armed robberies, pickpockets, burglaries and a variety of illegal means simply because unemployed users will need to come up with scarce dollars necessary to purchase such an expensive drug. I just do not see how marijuana can be affordable under conditions of poverty and where unemployment is sky-high. Legalisation under current conditions just does not make any sense. It is simply an insane proposal. At this time, Guyana can’t afford to legalise the recreational use of marijuana.
If ANUG seriously cares about the welfare of marijuana users, then it must guide Guyanese to do the right thing by respecting our laws. Discipline is needed. The breaking of our laws directly expands the prison population and none of this is ever acceptable. To this end, Guyana must never rush to legalise marijuana in the absence of the required foundation just to reward those that are hell-bent on breaking our laws, or to reward those who want to profit financially from this drug at the expense of human lives or to reward those that issue hollow calls for votes.
Sincerely,
Annie Baliram
