The CARICOM Cannabis Commission is scheduled to visit St Lucia, to hear the views of citizens on the subject of marijuana.
The commission is preparing to hold a consultation in St Lucia next month with a view to understanding the position of citizens on current marijuana laws.
Spokesman for the local Cannabis Movement, Andre Pancho Decaires says the commission wants a wide cross-section of views on marijuana use.
“There are a lot of people in the country who are concerned about changing the laws and we need to hear them. We don’t want to be singing to the choir. We don’t only want to hear testimonials about how great the cannabis could be for the country,” he said.
Decaires said politicians are avoiding taking a clear position on marijuana out of concern for their political future.
“A lot of our politicians, and one of them told me that straight, their decisions are based on votes and if they think that a decision would affect them negatively at the polls, they would not make that decision,” he added.
Decaires believes that St Lucia is in a great position to capitalise on the economic benefits of marijuana growth.
The Commission was established to determine whether there should be a change in the current drug classification of marijuana thereby making the drug more accessible for all types of usage including religious, recreational, and medical and research.
