Antigua government considers legalizing marijuana in religious rites

P.M. Bird (Photo by Norman 'Gus' Thomas)

Tuesday, September 16, 2003

ST. JOHN'S, Antigua: The Antigua government is considering pushing legislation to allow the use of marijuana or cannabis sativa by Rastafarians for religious purposes.

Prime Minister Lester Bird made the disclosure as he delivered the feature address at the official opening of the Halls of Justice on Parliament Drive yesterday morning.

"…some provision ought to be made where religious practices conflict with the law, such as the use by Rastafarians of marijuana in their religious rites," said the prime minister. "My government is giving careful consideration to how this religious practice might be allowed to continue legally within a controlled environment."

He added, "Further, there is good medical evidence that use of marijuana may be one of the better medications for certain conditions, (for example) eye drops for the treatment of glaucoma (and) ganja tea to relieve the pain and nausea of cancer victims undergoing radiation therapy."

Additionally, Prime Minister Bird also announced that his government is seriously considering legislation that could be adopted for "community service" sentencing for first offenders of certain types of crimes.

He urged that the court be cognisant of the importance of trying to rehabilitate such a person and called for alternatives to be devised within the law and the sentencing system to allow for a more appropriate "fit" sentence for the individual crime.

He, however, urged the courts to deal firmly drug traffickers.

"…there is still a need for the court, particularly in the areas of drug trafficking and grievous bodily harm, to impose the stiffest appropriate penalties under the law," said the PM. "These two categories of crime are the two second highest after burglary and break-ins, and they are, by far, the most pernicious and damaging to our society. In a very large number of cases of grievous bodily harm, men have set upon women and either disfigured or maimed them. This vicious crime, whatever motivates it, must be curbed, and curbed swiftly."  

Some of the members of the Antigua Bar Association
(Photo by Norman 'Gus' Thomas)

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