Issue of hemp cultivation not on gov’t priority list – Harmon

The issue of the cultivation of industrial hemp is not on the government’s list of priorities, according to Minister of State, Joseph Harmon.

“This is not a huge priority for the government at this point and time because we are still fighting drugs in Guyana,” Minister of State Joseph Harmon said yesterday, following questions from a Den Amstel resident, at an outreach he held in the Region 3 community.

Harmon explained that marijuana – which with hemp is part of the Cannabis Sativa family – was still on the UN list of narcotic drugs and that Guyana has a bad global reputation of being a transshipment point for narcotics.

He said that the country has to work holistically to change its global image before seeking to soften penalties on the drug.

Joseph Harmon

“We are still identified by many countries as a transition point for narcotic drugs. Therefore we have to ensure that the way the world sees us is not as a narcotic state and we have to be very careful about how we are branded,” the Minister of State asserted.

He called on the citizenry to get educated on the topic and research countries which have had their laws on marijuana repealed, and then lobby for their cause.

“It is part of the UN description of narcotic drugs. It is still there and will require a bill in the National Assembly to change that. Therefore, I have said to people who have been advocating it to get some advice on how the law has been in countries where it has been changed and get that before the National Assembly,” Harmon said.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this news item had said that minister stated that the easing of ganja penalties was not a priority. The minister was answering a question about hemp and didn’t speak about ganja penalties.  Stabroek News regrets the error and apologises to the minister for any inconvenience caused.