Dear Editor,

In a letter three months ago I suggested that marijuana should be legalized. Today I would like to go several steps further: I would like to recommend that we consider growing cannabis on an industrial scale.

Far too often our laws and decisions are instructed or influenced by the USA. In 1990, for instance, the US foisted on Guyana almost overnight our Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs Act, which resulted in the absolutely unconscionable mandatory three-year prison term for possession of merely a spliff. And just a few days ago, the US Chargé d’Affaires unbelievably suggested that Guyana should consider legalizing same-sex marriage. He remarked that 50 years from now, people might ask what the fuss was all about. In like manner, I would like to ask: what is all the fuss now about legalizing marijuana?

(On a lighter note, Guyana was perhaps the first country in the world to have a homosexual wedding, bridal outfit and all, in Albouystown – over 50 years ago!)

I therefore suggest that we don’t wait for US approval before we decide to legalize marijuana. Would you believe that while we are still jailing people for possession of marijuana, as many as 25 states in the US have already decriminalized it, that voters in four states so far have approved legislation for the legalizing its use, and that a poll shows that the majority of Americans support full legalization? The list of countries that have decriminalized it is long. Close to home, in Jamaica, it is decriminalized; and two years ago, Ecuador legalized both possession and cultivation. It is a little-known fact that Portugal decriminalized all of the popular drugs 14 years ago, yet that country has the lowest rate of lifetime marijuana use in people over 15 years old in the European Union (10%) compared to 39.8% in the USA. So what are we waiting for?

The respected Huffington Post observed that “Legal marijuana is the fastest-growing industry in the United States, and if the trend toward legislation spreads to all 50 states, marijuana could become larger than the organic food industry.” Another source quotes, “Imagine if the US could grow one crop that provided the resources to create a new industry, supported our economy, created a cleaner, more logical and better world. Hemp (a variety of marijuana) is not a weed. It is an industry.” It is instructive to note that American tobacco companies are currently buying up land for future marijuana cultivation. Do we have to wait until cannabis cultivation is approved in the USA before we pass the appropriate legislation here in Guyana?

One of the many things hemp can be used for is to make paper. Consider the number of trees that are cut down to sustain the present paper industry, and think of how many years it would require to replace all those trees. Hemp, on the other hand, takes just four months to grow, and is therefore a boon to the environment. Hemp is also known to make the strongest rope and the longest-lasting clothing. “In fact it can be planted so easily, and has so many wonderful uses, that there is a huge (US) lobby working against it… Too many would lose too much to allow the world to turn to this simple plant which can be grown almost anywhere.” The many health benefits of marijuana are undisputed. Science has already established that. Its medical applications are endless, and has also confirmed that any deleterious effects of marijuana are far fewer than for tobacco and alcohol.

We are the only country in the Caribbean that is so uniquely poised to take advantage of this new industry. And this possibility comes just as we are considering alternative crops to our failing sugarcane industry. The cultivation of hemp is far easier than for sugarcane; it is harvested easily, and can provide three crops per year. The optimum soil pH for growing sugarcane is 6.0 to 6.5 as compared with 5.5 to 6.5 for hemp ‒ almost identical. Which means that our canefield soils are ideally suited for the cultivation of hemp.

According to Wikipedia, products include hemp seed foods, hemp oil, wax, resin, rope, cloth, paper, and fuel. Hemp oil comprises one-third of the weight of hemp seeds, and is both edible and highly nutritious, containing essential fatty acids. The whole seed is 25% protein, is a good source of calcium and iron, and has more omega-3 than walnuts. Of considerable importance is the fact that hemp can also be used in the building industry, in the manufacture of insulation and fibre-board, and a material called hempcrete, which is lighter, stronger, and more environmentally friendly than concrete.

I therefore propose immediate consideration for appropriate legislation for legalizing personal use of marijuana and for industrial cultivation of hemp. Studies can then be carried out on experimental plots, and if these prove commercially viable, then we could next think of the possibility of converting sugarcane lands for extensive hemp cultivation. There are at least four major industries that are linked to large-scale cultivation – paper, textiles, pharmaceuticals and building materials. And there is every possibility of Guyanese being directly involved in owning these industries, providing a great number of jobs for our youths.

I put this proposal for the consideration of the government and to begin discussion with the public at large. A golden opportunity awaits Guyana if we could only find both political vision and political will.

Yours faithfully

Clairmont Lye