Wayne Venture of Lot 16 Section ‘C’ Christianburg, Linden was remanded to prison last Thursday when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court for allegedly smoking cannabis and being found with a quantity of the illicit drug in a bag that was in his possession.
He initially pleaded guilty to the charges of smoking cannabis and possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking when Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson read them to him, but insisted that the evidence be presented in court.
He admitted that he was found smoking cannabis and that he had 250 grammes of cannabis in his possession for the purpose of trafficking on September 10 at Kara Kara on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway.
Venture told the court: “I does plant it and then go and sell it. . .I does call um organic black sage.”
The prosecution said that on September 10, a policeman was on patrol duty in the Kara Kara area when he observed Venture smoking something wrapped in a brown paper. Upon closer inspection the policeman discovered that Venture was smoking a quantity of leaves, seeds and stems suspected to be cannabis wrapped in the brown paper.
The policeman then conducted a search on Venture’s person and also checked a blue handbag that he had with him.
The prosecution stated that when the policeman inspected the handbag he found a black plastic bag with a quantity of leaves, seeds and stems also suspected to be cannabis.
The policeman then told Venture of the offences and he admitted to them.
He was then arrested and later charged when the leaves, seeds and stems that he was found smoking and had in his bag were confirmed to be cannabis.
However, Venture asked the magistrate, “Wey deh exhibit, wey de evidence, I wan see it before I go to jail.”
The magistrate then informed Venture that the evidence was not in the court at the time.
When he continued asking to see the cannabis, the magistrate told him that she was going to enter a not guilty plea for him and let the matter go to trial so he could see the evidence against him.
He consented to this and was remanded to prison.
The matter was transferred to the Christianburg Magis-trate’s Court for tomorrow.
You are correct dude,where is the evidence..the organic black sage!!If he is a first time offender he should be given a fine and a warning.
WHY” WHEN ARE WE GOING TO STOP ILLEGAL USE OF DRUGS,IF YOU GREW UP IN GUYANA IN THE 50-70 IT WAS BEAUTIFUL AND WE DID NOT NEED DRUGS.
I am with you on this witch. The police should be spending their time on more critical matters.
For smoking maybe. Not for trafficking!
Hey Joe, is that your farm.
We still hold on to the colonial policies which made the narcotic of our ancestors illegal while they made liquor legal. Why imprison this man? Who is the victim of this ‘crime’? Cannabis is no worse than any of the other legal drugs. So much for independence.
It is the LAW that having Ganja is illegal. The GPF is only enforcing the law.
If you want to make ganja legal then petition the law makers to change the law accordingly.
You all have missed the point.
I really admire you Vidya. Keep on doing what you do.
What ancestors of yours grew marijuana you sound like a fool,read what long term use does to your body on WEB MD.
MR. v. self use is different from SELLING. The man admitted that the marajuna was for SALE. There is a DIFFERENCE.
Here is a video showing Organic black sage being the number one cash crop in California.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-QOgRiGnmQ&feature=related
Joe.
This organic thing seems like it is a lot of manure Joe!
Joe what you think would happen should a big operation like the CA operation took place in places like South Chacigo and like Harlem and Brooklyn?????
ehehehehehehehehehehehehe
is yall to figure this out whom watched the vid…..
hey tony, science is telling different stories about gateway drugs , it is a myth that marijuana is a gateway drug . http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/study-say-marijuana-no-gateway-drug-12116.html might be useful to read..
Check the history of ‘ganja’ , supposed to be a Sanskrit word referring to a plant which came from Africa , some say Central Africa(some Jamaican research trying to check the origins of the herb)
You right buddy
let him go, how many in jail for a joint.
that is part of nature, and it is natural not like man made chemicals for PROFITS.
too much much lives will be destroyed for just having a joint, walk in the drug store and you can buy worst than a joint.
“Wey deh exhibit, wey de evidence, I wan see it before I go to jail.”
You gotta love this man! Vidya I completely agree that ganja offenders should be fined – especially first time offenders. Problem is they slowly graduate from ganja to coke – which is whole other story!
who told you that? did that happen to you? stop making yourself a damn fool. i know many persons who smoke ganja and ganja alone..they have never moved on to cocaine or any harmful substances…ganja is a plant and it is smoked in its natural form..no chemicals..etc.. instead of the po po fighting down ppl for lil herbs, they should concentrate their energies to fighting real crime…the marijuana laws really need to be changed..Legalize Ganja(or decriminalize it)
In a court of law where decorum and the quality of your verbal expressions are considered favourable attributes is this the best the accused can offer? Is this a graduate of the Guyana’s educational system? How can someone with this level of articulation expect to survive in this demanding world? I fear Guyana is now inhabited by a tiny intelligentsia and a large intellectually challenged and uneducated mass. The tax coffers of the nation can never provide services to its citizens with a majority populace of this nature. The government must institute a programme to keep its achievers.
borapork, no doubt many of the achievers probably used the weed sometime.. like President Obama
I second that….!!!!.
I wonder how the DEA fells about “organic black sage”
Seeds, stems and leaves in brown paper??…Wayne Venture needs a good Lawyer because I’m sure that this stuff could be used for mekking bush tea. The police should have to produce an official lab test report identifying this specific bush before any conviction, to prove that it isn’t black sage…
Agreed…a good lawyer, but the guy showed great foresight and
pointed out immediately deficiencies in the prosecutor’s case.
As for producing lab tests…well don’t hold your breadth.
They still waiting on the DNA results of the Lindo matter.
OH BOY, LET THE POOR FELLOW GO, I LIKE HIS FRANKNESS,.. and besides ,he is a budding botanist, imagine.. identyfying and naming a new plant species, wow”.. SERIOUSLY this guy should not be jailed , we’re overcrowding, our prisons,. find some other, method of punishment… for example,.. the small business corp… could advance him a loan to develope a marketable product… say… ORGANIC SAGEFRESH TOOTHPASTE,… it may revive the market.. for CDE,. LFSB brand, which didn’t do too well,,.. and if I remember well, CDE. VANWEST was the leading promoter of the product, please contact him for technical advice…yours, truly, “having fun”…
The police will produce some cannabis in court even if the origial”organic black sage ” disappeared in somebody’s chalice.