Let’s have a good discussion on our approach to marijuana

Dear Editor,

Coincidentally, an article was published in the Guardian’s online edition (https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/jan/22/take-power-away-criminal-gangs-legalise-drugs) on the same day as Audreyanna Thomas’s letter (22nd January 2019, `Let’s fix families…’) appeared in Stabroek News, questioning Timothy Jonas’ (and possibly ANUG’s) position on legalizing marijuana in Guyana.  The Guardian’s article may be a helpful read for Ms. Thomas, and for the broader public, as we discuss the right approach to marijuana in Guyana. It helps to connect the old approach to drugs with some of the social issues that Ms. Thomas cares about. To quote: criminalizing drug use is “harming the most vulnerable and criminalizing poverty,” trapping “people in a cycle of poverty and inequality for generations.” Yes, our current approach may be contributing to some of the dysfunction in Guyanese society. There are second and third order consequences to locking people up, and we need to be clear on what these are. Other countries have shown how changes to the approach (including legislative changes) can work, and how they take money out of the hands of criminals and put it in the hands of the state, and legal entrepreneurs for that matter. Canada, Portugal, Holland, Uruguay, the tide is turning.

Let’s have a good discussion on our approach to marijuana, backed by sound research, considering the inter-related nature of complex (social) systems, and the experiences of countries that have chosen a different path. And let’s be thankful for those people who are brave enough to question the status quo, and explore alternatives. Silence isn’t always good leadership.

Yours faithfully,

Timothy McIntosh