Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan says the people of Cayman should decide whether to decriminalise cannabis and gambling, possibly through a referendum process.
Speaking on Radio Cayman’s ‘For The Record’ with Orrett Connor on Monday morning, Bryan said both issues had long been the subject of debate in Cayman, but ultimately, it was up to the voting public, not politicians, to decide whether to decriminalise them.
Responding to a question from caller Elvis McKeever in Cayman Brac, who ran under a legalisation-of-ganja campaign in last year’s general election, Bryan said he was in favour of decriminalising marijuana, but it was not his, nor other lawmakers’ decision to make.
“That is something we have to put to the people,” he said, adding that it was a subject that could be addressed in a referendum. “If people don’t want it, they can simply say no,” he said. If it does pass, then the government could amend its policies accordingly, he added.
McKeever said that because growing cannabis is illegal in Cayman, local farmers are unable to take economic advantage of the fact that medical cannabis oil can be legally sold. He claimed this was discriminatory towards Cayman’s farmers, and questioned why overseas growers could make money from this, but Cayman’s farmers could not.
Deputy Premier Chris Saunders also addressed the issue of the legal status of ganja growth, possession and supply last week on an earlier appearance on the radio show, saying that the PACT government had included the decriminalisation of ganja in its Strategic Policy Statement last July.
He said the subject has been “dominating the caucus meetings lately”, and that an announcement on the issue would be made soon.
But he added, “I want to make one caveat here – the decriminalisation of ganja versus the legalisation of ganja are two different issues. So while the government would be looking at decriminalise ganja, legalise is a whole different conversation altogether”.
Decriminalisation would mean ganja would remain prohibited by law, but the police and courts would no longer prosecute or criminalise a person for carrying under a certain amount. Legalisation, on the other hand, means that ganja is no longer illegal and could be sold in much the same way as tobacco or alcohol.
Reviewing gambling law
Bryan said the government was reviewing the Gambling Law in light of recent serious crimes connected with the illegal numbers games in Cayman, including a fatal shooting earlier this year.
Following that shooting, in May, Detective Superintendent Peter Lansdown stated, “We are aware that illegal gambling is a catalyst for other more serious and violent offences that take place, including armed robberies.”
Bryan said that he does not condone illegal gambling, but said it’s now time for a discussion to either legalise it and create a local lottery, or, alternatively, to increase the penalties surrounding it to give a stronger deterrent.
The minister said his government was “willing to consider a referendum” on the issue.
Currently, under the Gambling Law, a person convicted of running an illegal lottery is liable on conviction to a fine of $100 dollars.
Bryan said, “I think that if the average person was to talk to 10 people today, there are probably at least six of them who have been involved in a local lottery or buying numbers from overseas or buying a lottery ticket in Florida.
“The viewpoint on gambling has changed, and I think we need some direction as a government, whether … you want us to consider a national lottery, or to strengthen the penalties to allow the police to hold persons in the gambling arena more accountable.”
Bryan, when he was in the Opposition, had previously suggested that the public’s views on gambling be gauged in a referendum.
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Legalizing marijuana would ensure I never come back again to visit. Who wants to spend $10K on vacation to smell that crap?