St Lucian gov’t wants ganja issue debated at CARICOM level
CASTRIES, St Lucia, (CMC) — Agriculture Minister Moses Jn Baptiste is calling for a regional approach to marijuana tourism which, he says, is a matter which should be dealt with at the level of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
“Anything done at the level of a single country will impact what happens with travel and so on and raise legal issues,” Jn Baptiste said, adding that his comments reflected the views of the ruling St Lucia Labour Party government.
He told reporters that he was satisfied that CARICOM leaders were collectively addressing the issue.
“At this stage the use and possession of marijuana is illegal in St Lucia whatever personal views someone may have,” Jn Baptiste said, adding that as a result, the law should be obeyed until such time as it is changed.
Just recently the Cannabis Movement of St Lucia advocated marijuana tourism as a way out of the country’s current economic difficulties.
The Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) will be discussing marijuana tourism at its September 17-19 conference in the United States Virgin Islands.
The CTO said that the debate surrounding marijuana tourism has taken a sharper focus in recent months following its legalisation for recreational use by two US states, including Colorado.
Since it became legal to smoke marijuana in Colorado at the start of the year, there have been several reports of a boom in arrivals from both within and outside the United States.