By Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ & Director, CREDI
“Our bodies are ours to use, but we have to account one day to the Lord as to how we took care of them and what we did with them.”—Archbishop Terrence Prendergast, Ottawa.
As you know, The Dangerous Drugs Amendment Act No 24 of 2019 was proclaimed on Monday, December 23, 2019. However, the Cannabis Control Authority Bill was sent to a joint select committee. This Bill “seeks to provide for the regulatory control of the handling of cannabis for certain purposes, the establishment of the Trinidad and Tobago Cannabis Licensing Authority and for related matters” e.g. allowing companies to grow and sell marijuana for commercial gain.
The Act decriminalises the cultivation and possession of small quantities of cannabis. Adults can have in their possession in dwelling places (for private use and not for sale) as opposed to public places, up to 30 grammes of marijuana/cannabis and 5 grammes of cannabis resin.
Also, each adult in every home can own up to four marijuana/cannabis plants. They are not allowed e.g. to smoke marijuana in a public place and or while operating a vehicle.
Read about the penalties for breach of the law e.g. section 5A (1) states that a person who smokes or uses cannabis or cannabis resin in a “public place” commits an offence and is liable, on summary conviction to a fine of $50,000. In order to understand the distinction between ‘legalising’ and ‘decriminalising’ marijuana, re-read Archbishop Gordon’s article in his Catholic News column on October 6, 2018 entitled: ‘Decriminalise it, not legalise it’.
He said: “Marijuana is a harmful drug. Professionals in treatment centres attest to the fact that marijuana is a gateway drug. It has many social and psychological effects and can be destructive to individuals and society. BUT making a person a criminal for smoking marijuana is not a solution. It brings more harm than the intended good to society.”
A few month ago, Archbishop Gordon established a Committee, of which I am Chair, to plan a symposium to engage participants in a discussion on the legal, medical, and psycho-social dimensions relating to marijuana and cannabinoids. Due to the current lockdown, we will hold a virtual symposium via Zoom online instead. The symposium is entitled: Marijuana and cannabinoids: Health, research, and regulatory considerations.
Join us on Friday, June 5 from 9 a.m. to 1.30 p.m.
To register, email: socialjustice@catholictt.org or call 299-8945.
Participants will have an opportunity to discuss the legal, medical, and psycho-social aspects related to the theme and ask questions at various points during the symposium.
This is a social justice issue, related to Catholic moral teaching and rooted in our belief in the sanctity of life, and the dignity of the human person.
See our Catechism:
2258 “Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains for ever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end.
2288 Life and physical health are precious gifts entrusted to us by God. We must take reasonable care of them, taking into account the needs of others and the common good.
2290 The virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine.
2291 The use of drugs inflicts very grave damage on human health and life. Their use, except on strictly therapeutic grounds, is a grave offense”.
Remember, drug/substance abuse is anathema to integral human development.
Presenters at the symposium:
- Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon
- John Heath, Attorney-at-Law
- Dr Ian Hypolite, Medical Doctor and Psychiatrist, St Ann’s Mental Hospital
- Dr Christine Descartes, Department of Behavioural Sciences, UWI, St Augustine Campus
- Dr Randy Seepersad, Department of Behavioural Sciences, UWI, St Augustine Campus
- Dr Neil Singh, Head of the Health Services Unit, UWI, St Augustine Campus
- Lyra Thompson-Hollingsworth, Coordinator, National Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Programme (NADAPP)
- Errol Fabien, TV and Radio Presenter
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Papers will be presented on the following themes:
- The Catholic Church’s position on the use of marijuana and cannabinoids
- The Road to Decriminalisation of the Dangerous Drug Marijuana in the Republic of T&T
- Marijuana and risk-taking behaviours: What society needs to know
- Cannabis use and depression in young adults
- Drug use and crime among prison inmates
