The Caribbean Collective for Justice (CCJ) said it has been informed by the head of the Caricom Marijuana Commission Professor Rose Marie Belle Antoine, that Trinidad and Tobago was to be the first country where the Commission would host its first national consultation, but Government said it was “not ready.” 

In response to an email query by the CCJ’s head, Nazma Muller about the date of the T&T consultation, Antoine replied: “I wanted to start here but apparently TnT government was not ‘ready’ so don’t know.” 

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley says his administration has not discussed decriminalising marijuana even as his Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi is quoted as saying that it is reviewing existing legislation as well as planning wide consultation before adopting any position.

Rowley, speaking to reporters before his departure for the United States, said that he would be very surprised if the attorney general spoke to the decriminalisation of small amounts of marijuana when the matter was not discussed by Cabinet.

He said his Government has been in office for just over seven months and has spent no time at all examining the decriminalisation of marijuana.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – The Trinidad and Tobago Government is examining the possibility of decriminalising marijuana and is reviewing existing legislation as well as planning wide consultation before adopting any position, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi has said.

He told the Trinidad Guardian newspaper Monday that there has been “a full exercise of analysing the types of crime in our prisons and the pre-trials detention or remand statistics for a range of offences, including possession of narcotics, and particularly possession of cannabis.

“From that perspective there’s certainly a drive to gather statistical information, as the issue of decriminalising of marijuana isn’t a simple one on the public side.”

There are many signs that some Caribbean countries may well develop into an Eldorado for cannabis and its consumers in the coming years. Read about the seven most important reasons here.

A local cannabis lobby group says it plans to “test the law” by importing certain classifications of cannabis that are not defined by law as prohibited.

C420, a legally registered NGO that lobbies for cannabis policy reform says there is only one classification of Cannabis has been defined under current law and is subject to prohibition.

In a statement issued yesterday, the group reasoned that other classifications cannot be prohibited as they are not defined by law.

“In light of this, C420 intends to test the law by importing “non-prohibited” Cannabis seeds for the purpose of cultivation and “non-prohibited” Cannabis oil,” the group said.

It is time for Trinidad and Tobago to put away the fundamental bias that has been attributed towards cannabis (ganja, marijuana, herbs, high grade — whatever you want to call it) for decades and see how it can benefit the Government and its people through legalised, taxed and well-regulated medical cannabis (which has been proven to be far safer than alcohol and cigarettes combined).

This can create numerous economic benefits for this country in the state of its recession.

The taxes can increase the country's revenue, which can be a major help with the recession.

Job creation is integral to any economy and cannabis jobs already exist in T&T but are unfortunately already held by criminals.

JAMAICA-BORN Queen’s Counsel Dr Courtenay Griffiths has been appointed to the legal team of Trinidad and Tobago’s first incorporated cannabis law reform non-governmental organisation.
Griffiths has been officially appointed as C420’s consultant on matters of law reform. 
“Dr Griffiths was born in Jamaica and received his training in the United Kingdom. He was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1980 and was made Queen’s Counsel in 1998. Dr Griffiths also holds honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from both Coventry University and Leeds Metropolitan University. 

The Ministry, said C420 director and co-founder Colin Stephenson, had failed to make it known that laws regarding the lawful possession of marijuana exist in Trinidad and Tobago, to make regulations governing the use of marijuana, and to explore uses of the plant other than smoking. 

THE MINISTRY of Health is to be sued over ganja laws, the country’s first incorporated Cannabis Law Reform Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) has said.

According to a release from Colin Stephenson, the director and co-founder of C420, “under current law in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the possession, import, export, sale, manufacture, production, cultivation or distribution of cannabis is legal as long as one has been issued a licence”.

Stephenson said C420 is ”in possession of a legal opinion from the Ministry of Health confirming the same”.

“In light of this, C420 has made several applications for medicinal cannabis licences on behalf of individuals who feel cannabis will be effective as a treatment for their illnesses,” Stephenson said.