Opposition Leader Dr. Godwin Friday has voiced his support for the legalisation of marijuana in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, saying it could create new economic opportunities and help build wealth for Vincentians.
Speaking at the opening of the New Democratic Party’s (NDP) constituency office in North Leeward on Friday, Dr. Friday said the party’s candidate for the area, Kishore Shallow, had outlined a vision that includes a “cannabis village” as part of the region’s economic future.
“I am not afraid to say that I’m in favour of the legalisation of marijuana in this country and to have that as an industry. That can be done to create wealth and opportunity for our people,” Friday said.
“This is what the CARICOM commission had recommended. And so, we are working along with that to see to what extent we can get it done now, and how we can do with it in the future. There is a lot of potential there,” he added.
Friday also outlined a broader vision for transforming the economy of North Leeward, including the introduction of a ferry service linking the area to other parts of the country—and beyond.
“We want to have a connection between the north and Saint Lucia as well and create the potential for economic synergies that we have not been able to imagine yet,” he said.
The opposition leader reflected on his own experience traveling from Bequia to school in Kingstown, St. Vincent, noting how dramatically transportation between the islands has evolved.
“You could never have imagined that you’d have a ferry service running between Bequia and Kingstown, where you have a boat almost every hour,” he said.
He pointed to that development as an example of how improved transportation can stimulate economic growth and quality of life.
“…Now you have people going down to Bequia not just to do business but to go to the beach, to have a nice time on the weekend, where you have the cruise ships coming in and full boatload of people going down. All of that is new. You could not have conceived of it,” Friday said.
“So let us not limit our imagination when we talk about developing the north to thinking what exists now. Think about what is possible, and that is what I want to unleash in this part of the country.”
He praised Shallow as a capable and visionary candidate, calling him “somebody of talent, and also the desire to do good in the region and here in his community.”
Also speaking at the event, East Kingstown MP Fitz Bramble said marijuana once played a key role in supporting Vincentian families and the wider economy.
“When school going open and you see all the ganja farmers come to town, even town people used to benefit because when you go in town to buy your school books, you see a brethren from Chateau. You say, ‘Boy, ah broken me. Help me with something.’”
Bramble criticised Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, accusing him of destroying the traditional marijuana industry in North Leeward while promoting the medical cannabis sector to benefit a select few.
“…And now he’s giving all of the perks and all of the economic opportunities to these people they’re talking about medical marijuana,” Bramble said. “This is what he said, I will pursue those vagabonds until they exist no more. And they coming and asking you for 30 years.”
He added: “All the small farmers in this community who carry this community, who carry this country, now money dey fuh mek in marijuana, you take away the opportunity from them. No way should they get 30 years.”
Bramble is seeking a second term in the next general election.
Former MP for North Leeward, Roland “Patel” Matthews, also took aim at the Gonsalves-led Unity Labour Party (ULP), blaming it for “the destruction of the marijuana industry in North Leeward.”
The St. Vincent government has decriminalised the possession of up to two ounces of marijuana under certain conditions, but remains opposed to full legalisation, citing international treaty obligations.
