From hemp to marijuana the cannabis plant is fast becoming a popular crop worldwide for legal recreational use. It is becoming a common trend that those who have long been persecuted for planting the crop illegally do not benefit when legal cultivation begins
Under the current Laws of Guyana, people found with small amounts of cannabis face a mandatory minimum sentence of 3 years in jail. Sentences for people caught planting the crop are much higher. President Granger had signed pardons for many youths jailed for marijuana under the APNU+AFC government but the PPP regime has ended the practice. A water-downed proposal for removing the mandatory minimum sentence and slightly increasing the quantity allowed is currently stuck in a parliamentary select committee.
While the PPP sees no need for urgency in processing the marijuana laws, they have rushed a Bill through the National Assembly that would allow for the legal cultivation of hemp. Hemp is cannabis with less than 0.3% Tetrahydrocannabinol(THC) content.
Cannabis with a THC content of 0.3% and above is usually called marijuana. With the plants having very little difference between them, it is natural to expect that those illegally planting marijuana will grab at the opportunity to legally cultivate the crop. However, the lack of any legal protections and the current draconian marijuana laws make the transition to legal cannabis cultivation all but impossible.
Though many hoped that the legal cultivation of cannabis would provide the opportunity for those in the underground economy to transition to respectable employment, it is clear that the PPP’s intention was for established businesses and individuals to dominate the newly legal industry. Pradoville gets another gift from the PPP.
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