A member of Parliament who spearheaded a bid to have certain criminal records wiped for possession of small amounts of cannabis and a barrister who led a campaign for a ganja referendum have backed a call by a top lawyer to decriminalise ganja gummies.
Chris Saunders, the independent MP for Bodden Town West, said he agreed with Richard Barton’s view that amnesty bins should be set up at ports of entry so people arriving could ditch items like gummies without penalty.
He added, “I do support Mr. Barton’s position. I read what he said and I’m in agreement.”
Saunders said the country had to learn to deal with situations like when an employee in Cayman went on vacation to Colorado, which has long legalised recreational cannabis use, and came back with traces of the drug in their system. Detection of such traces could get employees into serious trouble at work if tested.
He added, “I know people personally who go on vacation and get the cannabis and the gummies. These are people in responsible positions in organisations in the Cayman Islands.”
Saunders said, “One thing Mr. Barton said that I completely agree with is we have to protect children first and foremost.”
He was speaking after Barton, a barrister and president of the Cayman Islands Legal Practitioners Association, said that rules on products such as ganja gummies needed to change.
Barton said it was wrong for law-abiding visitors to be criminalised in Cayman for activity that may be legal in their homelands, or for people who used cannabis products for medical reasons to be subject to criminal sanctions.
The father-of-two emphasised that young people needed to be protected, but that “a balance needed to be struck” and that there should be “some rationality in the administration of justice”.
Saunders, backed by former premier and government MP McKeeva Bush, brought a successful private member’s motion to Parliament last month.
The motion, accepted by the House, called for an amendment to criminal records legislation to expunge convictions recorded against people for possession of an ounce or less of cannabis for personal use.
Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly said in her response that the topic would be addressed in the referendum on decriminalising ganja, expected to be held in April.
Saunders said, “The motion that Mr. Bush and I put forward, it’s safe to say all members of the legislature agreed with it. We’re all pretty much on the same page in that that regard.”
But he ruled out legalisation of cannabis.
He said, “I can see us decriminalising it, but I never see us legalising it. I am absolutely not in favour of legalisation.
“I’m not supporting anything that would allow young people to damage their brain cells. No one in my immediate family even smokes cigarettes. It’s not something we would encourage or support.”
Orrie Merren, who has also suggested legal amendments to loosen the drugs regime, similar to changes made in Jamaica and Bermuda, said decriminalisation of small amounts of cannabis would be appropriate, but that legalislation was “not a viable option”.
Jamaica decriminalised possession of up to 2 ounces of the drug in 2015 and allowed cultivation of up to five cannabis plants per household.
The Jamaican legislation also created a licensing authority to give permission for cultivation for medical, therapeutic and/or scientific purposes.
Merren explained that, through Cayman’s relationship with Britain as an overseas territory, the islands would put Britain in breach of international treaty commitments if it moved to legalise recreational use of cannabis on a commercial basis.
He backed the view that children and young people had to be protected from potential risks from use of the drug.
Merren said, “As such, preventative and protective measures should be put in place to ensure that children and young persons are protected against the adverse effects of cannabis.
“Moreover, around age 25 is when most human brains stop maturing. Therefore, before age 25, unless prescribed by a medical doctor, children or younger persons should abstain from use of cannabis.”
He added that he agreed with amnesty bins for visitors.
Merren said, “If there is an opportunity for someone to correct something, it’s better to allow them to voluntarily do it.”
But he emphasised that any changes to the law in Cayman would need to take account of potential international legal implications.
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