It is very likely that sometime this year, the Canadian Parliament, much to the chagrin of the United States, will pass a law decriminalizing marijuana. Getting caught with an ounce of marijuana or less will bring fines, not prison and a criminal record.
It is felt that too many young Canadians get a criminal record for the relatively minor offense of smoking pot. The law will stop short of legalizing it.
There is also likely to be an amnesty for the thousands with a criminal record for possession of cannabis. The law will also propose government education and prevention programmes for young people. The basic argument is that people should not be imprisoned for something that is not harmful.
Do we in The Bahamas have the guts to fashion similar legislation with a view to relieving our young citizens from the criminal record that would have been bestored upon them for having ‘personal use’ quantities of marijuana, with the full knowledge that such criminal record separates them from finding a job to take care of themselves and in some instances their families?
Yours, etc.,
Jerry Roker
Letter To The Editor, The Nassau Guardian
