Trinidad and Tobago govt is late in entering international cannabis market: UNC

The Opposition United National Congress (UNC) said the Government is 'late' in seeking to enter the global cannabis market.

Thursday, 28th April 2022

Leader of opposition Kamla Persad Bissessar

Trinidad and Tobago: The Opposition party of Trinidad and Tobago United National Congress (UNC) said the Government is 'late' in seeking to enter the global cannabis market, as other Caricom countries are approaching the research and development stage of a growing billion-dollar industry. Trinidad and Tobago's Mayaro MP Rushton Paray was among those expressing concern in the Parliament last week Wednesday that the Cannabis Control Bill currently before the House does not support equity in the development of local industry and may not guard against Trinidad and Tobago's resources being abused by international players. He raised concerns over the licensing process and whether it supported small and medium cultivators and downstream businesses, saying the people of T& T must be the biggest beneficiaries of the industry. Paray said there was a wind of cannabis change sweeping the region', but Trinidad and Tobago was 'playing 'catch up with the rest of the world in facilitating the establishment of a structured cannabis industry'. He said in January; Fortune Business Insights had projected that the global cannabis industry would be worth US$197 billion in six years. Fortune described the global cannabis market as 'unprecedented and staggering', he said, adding that 'a recent report of a London-based organisation named Cannabis Business Plan said the prospective markets in Latin America and the Caribbean would be worth US$800 million by 2026'. However, Paray stated: 'That latter report said the region would benefit from labour costs that are 80 per cent lower than that in North America.' The MP said there was 'an overdue need to diversify our stagnant economy, secure new sources of foreign exchange, establish downstream activities and create employment. 'This is a real opportunity to set up a green economy,' he added. Paray said the Cannabis Licensing Authority proposed to be established under the Act must be given priority and afforded all resources. He recalled complaints by some arms of the State, including the Judiciary, of being unable to function at optimum due to needing more resources and funding. Paray, saying that the Bill would 'establish an institution to regulate that industry and would demark who could participate and who could benefit commercially', stated: 'There must be no such situation with the Cannabis Licensing Authority. Any red tape would only set back Trinidad and Tobago's involvement in this mushrooming industry.' He later said,"We are apprehensive about who would benefit from the major industry that would emerge.' Paray noted that Clause 20 of the Bill 'indicates that funding would come from the Consolidated Fund and other sources. 'It is critical that the Government makes appropriate annual provisions to the Consolidated Fund," he said. Board members, he said, 'should not only meet the stipulated qualifications but must be seen to be independent, upstanding, and respected'. T& T's ganja history 'It is regrettable there could be no removal of the blemished records of thousands of people who, over the years, utilised cannabis for medical ailments or for simple pleasure and relaxation,' Paray said. 'Some of those convicts, especially impressionable youths, later embarked on lives of serious crime. They destroyed people's lives, or they wrecked their own lives. In many cases, they were indoctrinated into the criminal lifestyle while they were behind bars. All because they smoked a marijuana joint on the block.' Paray stated the legislation 'would also have the result of removing the long-standing stigma that has been associated with cannabis cultivation and use'. Cannabis, which arrived in Trinidad and Tobago with indentured East Indian labourers, is 'nothing new' to this country and must not be dealt with in such a manner, he said, adding: 'To do so is to dishonour and disregard our past.' Paray said Antigua and Barbuda was among the first, in 2018, with the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill, which permitted limited personal use of cannabis. 'St Vincent and the Grenadines not only modernised its applicable legislation but also created a cultivation industry.' He said Jamaica, Dominica, St Kitts-Nevis and other Caricom neighbours have also legalised and regulated cannabis use. Paray said T& T had the agricultural capacity to maximise the industry and suggested the Government look to Jamaica, which 'as a regional leader in the industry, could provide much guidance and support to our budding operations'. He said the organisation BMC Globalisation and Health, in a 2021 study, described Jamaica as being 'at the forefront of cannabis law reform in the developing world'.