Marijuana possession and trafficking are the second most prevalent crimes for which persons are arrested, after intentional homicide or murder. These crimes are responsible for the imprisonment of the majority of women and for one out of every five destitute youths owing to mental ill-health caused by drug dependency. Marijuana is a mind-altering drug and its use is linked to psychosis, mental ill-health and to drug dependency in one out of every ten users.
Former President David Granger, in examining the cultivation, possession, distribution and use of marijuana on the programme – The Public Interest – pointed out that Guyanese need to be fully informed about the drug. Marijuana used to be imported legally in British Guiana in the 1860s. Known and grown locally as ganja, grass, kaya, pot and weed, it was used mainly by indentured Indian labourers and became a feature of local folklore.
Mr. Granger pointed out that marijuana cultivation never ceased. It is now widespread in Guyana’s central ‘Ganja zone’ – Potaro-Siparuni, Upper Demerara-Bernice and East Berbice-Corentyne Regions – which straddle our three main rivers. Marijuana seizures are reported to have soared to 1.1 tonnes in January-April 2024. He reminded, also, that twenty-six students of the Paramakatoi Secondary School were expelled in 2012 on suspicion of marijuana possession.
The former President acknowledged that cannabis and its derivatives have shown promise in the treatment of asthma, glaucoma, nausea and nervous system disorders. Medicines made from cannabis can also increase appetite and decrease pain, inflammation and muscle control problems. Some devotees of the Rastafarian faith claim that marijuana use is not forbidden in the Bible and its use is their religious right. The Rastafari Council and local Rastafarian groups − Twelve Tribes of Israel and the Theocracy Order of Nyabinghi – have led protests and made proposals for the decriminalization of marijuana.
Official approaches to narcotics control, however, have been punitive not curative. Imprisonment is used as a tool to eradicate drug use and supply. Cannabis users face mandatory prison sentences of three years for the possession of cannabis over 30g. Weak enforcement and endemic corruption within the Police Force impede the eradication of the marijuana industry. About three persons are charged weekly for narcotrafficking, possession and cultivation. About 141 persons were serving prison sentences for narcotrafficking in 2023. The Report of the Caribbean Community’s Regional Commission on Marijuana entitled Waiting to Exhale, recommended decriminalization of the drug with a view to rural development and making sure small farmers are included in any production and supply arrangements, with appropriate controls limiting large enterprise and foreign involvement.
The former President warned, however, that inadequate funding and insufficient human resources hamper the effectiveness of enforcement or competent management of ‘appropriate controls’. The PPPC administration has not demonstrated the political will to deploy the police force to patrol the ‘Ganja zone’ but recklessly disbanded the National Anti-Narcotics Agency that was established by the APNU+AFC administration to curtail narcotrafficking. It is evident that industrial scale marijuana cultivation and production are marginalizing the poor, enriching the rich, criminalizing young people and depriving many women and rural families of a good life.
