By Charmaine Joseph

Several years ago, when Allan Louisy was prime minister, the Labour administration took a lot of fire after leading members talked about decriminalizing marijuana. Irony of ironies, the issue again threatens to heat up the political atmosphere, thanks to the recently converted UWP leader Vaughan Lewis.

According to a local press report, Dr Lewis is advocating the view that marijuana should be decriminalized for recreational purposes.  Dr Lewis is quoted as saying, “The process of decriminalization of the people who use drugs either for recreation or for medicinal purposes has to go a long way with certain psychological treatment. We have to employ people who are trained as counselors, we have to train in the police force people who understand the psychology of the human mind and the psychology of young people so that the decriminalization goes along with that.

 “We cannot decriminalize if we do not have the proper facilities to help people who are involved in this because a lot of them are not working, a lot of them do not have steady income. A lot of them have lost their ways and therefore we have to put those things in place first to allow them to live normal lives before we proceed.”

Meanwhile, the acting director of the Drug Abuse and Control Secretariat, Elizabeth Serieux-Wilson, told the STAR on Wednesday that the “process of decriminalization doesn’t happen overnight.”She said, “There are many resources that must be put in place before you make the drug legal. Drug abuse is a serious problem and many people do not use drugs for good reasons.”

She cited countries where decriminalization has taken place: “These countries had to invest a large amount of resources into the process to prevent an escalation in crime and drug addiction. No Caribbean country at this point in time has the resources to do so.”The Turning Point rehabilitation center is an area of concern. The facility has been in a state of dilapidation for years. Currently closed for repairs, it offers only out-patient services.

 “Even the with the out-patient services we offer,” said Serieux-Wilson, “the human resources available are very poor.”The number of drug abuse cases in St Lucia is not clear. However, professionals say that several patients admitted to St Lucia’s psychiatric institute have ongoing drug addiction problems.

Countries that have decriminalized the process experienced related problems. The American State of Oregon saw an increase of daily drug use by high school students from 10.7 percent to 50 percent in just two years. The law was abandoned in the late 90’s with the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes only allowed.In any event Serieux-Wilson is not buying Lewis’ suggestion that marijuana should be allowed for medicinal purposes.

“Many drugs can be used as a substitute for marijuana,” she told the STAR. “Marijuana does not cure any disease, it is a depressant. It makes the symptoms go away for a while, but it does not make the disease go away.”Some medical experts would disagree, pointing to many chemotherapy patients who have attributed their increased well being to marijuana. The drug has also been used to alleviate pain and decrease the possibility of blindness in glaucoma patients. Ms Seriuex-Wilson believes the drug would be misused.

The Rastafarian Association, upon contact, was not prepared to comment at this time. The St Lucia Labour Party, through its PRO Tennyson Joseph also declined comment on the issue. When contacted for further elaboration Lewis declined.As for the timing of Dr Lewis’ statement, Serieux-Wilson said, “playing with decriminalization for political gains is a dangerous thing.”