Parliamentary Representative for the Roseau South Constituency, Joshua Francis, has called on the government of Dominica to state its policy on the issue of marijuana in Dominica, in light of a position taken by CARICOM.
He said there must be a responsible approach to the matter and discussions must be held.
Francis made that call while addressing a Town Hall meeting of the opposition United Workers Party (UWP), held at the Harlem Plaza on Wednesday night.
According to him, CARICOM has set up a commission to review the use of marijuana among Caribbean countries and Jamaica has decriminalized the use of marijuana in small quantities.
“I am calling on the Prime Minister of Dominica, to tell us what exactly is the government’s policy on the use of marijuana,” he said. “We have to take a responsible approach this is an area that we must discuss. As we speak a number of countries have decriminalized the use of small portions of marijuana, including Jamaica and I am not saying that we should rush and simply decriminalize marijuana, but there must be leadership on the discussion on the use of marijuana and we should not be afraid to discuss it because it is a reality.”
He stated that a marijuana revolution is taking place throughout the world and, “Dominica should not be left behind.”
“We have to find ourselves on a discussion table to discuss, what is the policy that we are going to employ as far as marijuana use is concerned,” Francis noted.
He pointed out that a number of young people who use marijuana on a small scale are taken to court where they get bad police records if convicted.
“The ramifications are they may be denied of a job, they may be denied of a US Visa, they can be affected in several ways, so we have to discuss that,” Francis argued.
Among the things he wants discussions on are the legal ramification of marijuana use, the medical ramifications and how Dominica can benefit from the use of medical marijuana.
“Is it something that we could grow in Giraudel, as an example, or several other areas in Dominica where the soil is conducive?” Francis asked.
sending people to jail for marijuana should be a thing of the past
Question,should Dominica decriminalize marijuana. We should examine this on serveral levels.
should we as a society punish people (fines or imprisonment) for using drugs? And if yes why? Is it not the right of an individual to as he or she pleases with their bodies? Alcohol and tobacco are both drugs yet are socially acceptable, what is the social double standard with marijuana? If you have an argument against marijuana that you could not apply to alcohol and tobacco please enlighten me.
In any discussion on any topic I like to go by staitistics. I will leave it to you to do your research. One pound of fig = ? One pound of herb = ? Joshua I commend you on being right on . Rev Hill I know you will not refuse ganja money in your lapesh tiithes and burnt offerings . But I will leave that to the heavenly father. Nuff said….
When we decide to legalized tobacco cigarettes,we never thought for a minute that, it would have caused so much problem for society. Ill heailth,money etc. At the time of good inventors,scientist and doctors, there were no mention of cannabis.All the good brains are dying and cannot be replaced. Now we have planes coming down, shipwrecked with accident every minute. Take it from me all good leaders study the bible. Smoking is creating too much problem at the moment and we cannot add more to it.If you want to abuse the system you were born with, do it on your own but, don’t get caught A big no to legalized any scatter brain substance
Idiots like “Jack” bray all day long and repeat the same old brain-washed U.S. propaganda and the mantra that “Uncle Toms” have been taught over the years. Sensible Dominicans need to take heed. Every year a contingent from the U.S. Army visits the island for approximately two weeks. Soldiers from the U.S. army coupled with members from the SSU Unit in Dominica embark on destroying marijuana plants. Do we know what type of chemicals is employed in destroying these plants and the effect that they have on our echo system and water table?
I know of the Huey helicopter because I trained as police constable at Morne Bruce. There’s also an annual budget for the police department. It would be interesting to see what percentage is used for the “War on Drugs.” This money could be spent more efficiently in other much needed areas such as education and healthcare, versus marijuana destruction. Unfortunately, Democracy sometimes invades our lives with imbeciles like “Jack.”
Sir…Please be informed that marijuana is Jamaica’s national dish..They smoke it ,they eat it ,they cook it etc. With that said, I was just watching a program on Al Jerzeera America a min or two ago, on the very same topic,when I came across the same thing on DNO. The reporter covered Holland,Colorado and Jamaica. And the folks in Holland were sounding the alarm to the Americans of some dangerous incidents encountered,as you would well know marijuana been decriminalized there for a good many years.
But as I always say to folks.Dominica is not on planet mars,it is very much a part of the world village .And where the advance communities go ( US,UK etc ) expect the rest to follow. It might take sometime but trust me they all will follow. Walking down the same broad road,heading for destruction,it the World alas….
Is marijuana making Jamaica a better place to live?
Ask yourself “What kind of people are attracted to a nation that has ‘freed the weed’ – a country that has opened up to unrestricted use of marijuana? Obviously, it would attract a certain kind of tourist!
Is smoking marijuana making Jamaican men law abiding citizens, good neighbors, and the kind of people who should be welcomed as immigrants at the borders of other nations?
We have areas in Toronto that have been turned in drug saturated crime filled gettos where a joint (or a bag of weed) can be purchased on any corner, on the street across from any school, in any park, in or near any bar, at any time of the day or night. These are places where new Canadians from countries that approve and promote wide open marijuana use rule their territories like lords. Every couple of weeks we hear of one of them shooting somebody dead, often one of their own, in a drug deal gone bad.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. Evangelist.
God created the cannabis plant, man just abusing it nothing wron with it…
I don’t think its a good idea to decimalised marijuana cause to many children might be involve in snoking it.
You ought to know that answer to that by all of th mj people prosecuted.
There are many countries throughout the world recognizing the benefits of marijuana as a healing herb. On CNN for instance we have seen numerous documentaries outlining real life experiences of individuals, adults, children and the like with unusual chronic ailments which has miraculously benefited and obtained relief, and cure from the use of the herb. Some real excruciating illnesses have been cured. We have to ask ourselves why is this plant being denied its real use and benefits in Dominica. There are so many dangerous “drugs” being pumped into our system everyday, real dangerous drugs and because they are approved by the US Drug Administration they are acceptable, but these drugs have been killing us. The marijuana plant has proven benefits, so lets not continue to be naive and ignorant, lets decriminalize the drug and manage its use for the health benefits of our nation. It is proven to help in the cure of cancer as well.
Many people who want marijuana sold for medical purposes are already smoking it to get high. What they really want is to have it made legal so (a) they will not be arrested, and (b) it will be easier to obtain.
Have they shown us that there is not an already approved drug that will kill the pain or cure any particular illness as well as marijuana does? If such comparative studies have been done the researchers have not done the best job of getting the information out to the public.
Even at the present time the laws against marijuana are not sufficient to stop people from growing and selling the weed. People are continually being arrested for possessing a quantity of cannabis for the purpose o trafficking. If there is a push forward to market medical marijuana greater controls must be in place to prevent abuses.
When people begin using marijuana for recreational purposes is not unusual for them to begin experimenting with harder drugs.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill…
QUESTION: Why would anybody ask the government to state its position on marijuana?
ANSWER: To open a discussion in the hopes of getting the weed decriminalized and / or legalized.
Research into the medical uses of marijuana should continue.
However, it should be noted that some who are pushing for “medical” marijuana are already smoking it for recreational purposes which makes their “medical” crusade rather suspect.
Some in my country (Canada) who smoke it now with a doctor’s prescription smoked it to get high before they knew it had any medical value. It seems these are the people who are now having the loudest voice in getting marijuana legalized for medical purposes. It leave me wondering if it is really the sick and the suffering they are concerned about.
It is foolish to use nations, states, or provinces that have decriminalized marijuana as an example for your own nation. Remember their governments years ago legalized the tobacco.
Continued…
Rev. Hill, you need to understand something about your people here. If many of them weren’t stoned, they would be violent and easily provoked. And church won’t change that. The mj calms them down.
Anonymous:
Are you saying unless Dominicans stay high on marijuana they will become violent?
Do you mean they are so mentally disturbed if they are not kept sedated on the weed they will go mad and harm themselves and others?
The truth is you do not find this problem among the evangelical Christians in our churches on the island who do not smoke marijuana.
I have not been to Dominica. But as an international evangelist who has ministered on four of the other Caribbean islands, staying up to ten weeks on an island during a single visit, preaching in some of the largest churches in the Caribbean, and staying in the homes of Black
Christians, I did not detect this problem!
On the contrary I found my non-weed smoking Afro-Caribbean brothers and sisters among the most stable people in the world. They had orderly families, and peaceful homes. But wait! maybe it was Christ who made the difference!
Continued … … …
Continuation … … …
There is no need for Dominicans to have an inferiority complex. They are a people with potential. Look at the Dominican young people who are getting a higher education, going to college or university, and coming back with doctorates. They are not accomplishing such exploits by being stoned on marijuana so they will not go mad!
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. Evangelist.
Are you implying that ingesting marijuana will make them docile? You must be joking.
Let me inform you. If I know someone is high on marijuana, I would stay far away from that person. They could still be violent when on marijuana and do all sorts of abnormal things. One of it is murder. Then they will turn around and inform the Court with the help of their attorney that they were not aware of what they were doing. Leave well alone. Marijuana should never be decriminalized.
“… church won’t change that.”
No, but Jesus Christ can! Going to church will not make you a Christian any more than going to a garage will make you an automobile.
The Bible says “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
People go to church for many different reasons. But unless they have an encounter with Christ nothing will change. You must believe that His death on the cross paid the penalty for your sins
according to John 3:16, John 3:36, Isaiah 53:5,6, and Romans 5:6-8, and receive HIM as your Savior according to John 1:11,12, and Revelation 3:20!
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. Evangelist.
When I was a kid it was cool to smoke. Even doctors smoked. I remember our family doctor lighting up in our home. Who told us we should not smoke? Not the doctors with all their education! It was the evangelical pastors, especially the shouting Bible waving Pentecostal preachers. How they irked people!
They didn’t have much science to use against smoking in those days. They just said silly things like “If God wanted you to smoke he would have made you with a smoke stack on your head.”
Now we know smoking causes cancer, and heart conditions. It affects almost every system in he human body in ways that can potentially be deadly. It can have devastating effects on the unborn. Did you know it is a scientific fact that 50% of all regular smokers WILL die of a tobacco smoke caused illness? Our Canadian governments are now spending millions of tax payers money to get people to stop smoking.
Yet it was the governments that licensed the tobacco industry.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill.
Reverend Hill this is Liz (Lizalinaxavier) here; I don’t even understand why DNO bloggers are giving you the “thumbs down”–must be that they cannot tolerate the talk of God from a Man or Woman of God. Also it could be as the apostle Paul tells us at 1st Corinthians 2: 14 “The natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him”–good Lord
But I still believe that God has chosen those whom He wants to speak to, through you. Just ignore and forgive those who do not know better; continue to do your work as God is willing you to do so, knowing that your time is His time. Blessings!
The sick smokers are a strain and drain on the medical system. I have heard that they will be paying more (or should) for medical care. The reason is they have willfully damaged their system.
Consistent marijuana smoking could cause them, one day, if they live long enough, to be on an oxygen tank. They will not be able to go out without a portable one which they must have with them, at all times, until the day they die..
Some of them have been selling the prescribed marijuana. I think the Canadian Federal government has washed its hands off it. It is only given by doctors’ prescription and dispensed by pharmacists.
Keep in mind what Trudeau, the leader of the Liberal Party said if he becomes Prime Minister of Canada in October. He said he will legalize marijuana and also raise taxes. The Ontario premier wants him to approve raising taxes which PM Harper will not agree to. You know to vote wisely on that day
not all marijuana makes you high, also seems your thinking has been high jacked by the American propaganda machine, you have bought into their lies
If it does not make them high why are they ingesting it? Would it not be foolish to take it if it has no effect on them? Those who take it do so for a reason and that reason is to get a high as if being drunk. It makes them feel good be it temporarily until they can take some more. They are addicted to it and will take as much as they feel like taking at any time.
Some people will steal and kill to get this illegal drug – marijuana.
Some have died of marijuana overdose. Is this something which should be decriminalized? I do not recommend it whatsoever.
True, not all marijuana will get you high.
Some of it is such low grade weed it does nothing.
Want to get yourself murdered? Just stand on a corner, stroll though a park, or sit in a bar, and sell some bad stuff. Those who sell are putting their own lives on the line unless they are sure their stuff is high quality.
Also it is dangerous to buy any drug out there because you don’t know what you are getting . Some of the stuff has been “cut”, some has been “mixed”. The people who sell it have one motivation and only one, and that is to make money for themselves. Often they are insanely driven by their need for money to buy a drug for their own use and will do anything.
Decriminalization and legalizing will not end the abuse. Underage customers will buy from illegal dealers. Dealers will still operate illegally to avoid paying for a licence, and paying sales and income taxes.
It is a bad business.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. Evangelist. (Diploma in Drug…
We do not have enough poor Drunckards and rapists we need more people to add to the list. Why dont we discuss job creation. After slavery our brains is damaged so much we want to stay high and do nothing. We are not talking about how do we start thinking again. We were taught to wait on the lord to help us solve our problems. We are clueless and brainless about what we want and what we should be doing.
interesting you mentioned slavery the whole war on drugs, particularity cannabis has been started by the U.S.A you have been brainwashed by the U.S.A to believe their lies they hace atributed cannabis to racism, by stating it makes you love the negro man, in other words if you are against it’s use you are promoting and supporting slavery of your own people
Marijuana can provide hundreds of jobs, do your research on marijuana. I take it you know the scientific evidence. There is much more to it. Get to know about the Marijuana Law in 1619,1850, 1915-192, 1929, 1936 and so on. Remember smoking weed doesn’t make someone a bad person, just like going to church doesn’t make someone a good person. Nature Is Not A Crime.
There is no comparison between marijuana and church and vice versa. You should not even mention them.
What does God and the devil have in common?
I would rather go to church than smoke marijuana. This makes good sense morally and spiritually.
If those who are only interested in marijuana and to ingest it, if they would pray to God, go to church and perform some good deeds, they would have no need for marijuana and would never consider promoting its decriminalization.
For the reason it is used, even though it can provide hundreds of jobs, it is called SIN and a product which causes ill health.
Prostitution also provides a lot of jobs for those who practice it. Again, the majority of nationals would not want it legislated.
I said church not God…Hotep
You must stop blaming slavery for your problems.
The slave “owners” are not here now.
The slaves are not here now.
A new day has dawned.
Most people whose ancestors were slaves are normal, stable, productive citizens. They can wear their ancestry as a badge of honor. Their forefathers in spite of being treated inhumanely contributed to the growth of the western world, and today they themselves are contributing.
The healing has begun!
The US presently has a Black President and many other leading Black politicians. Black people are big in the entertainment and sports industries. Being an evangelist I know best of the famous Black pastors, (some with mega-churches that are the envy of their White brothers, ha-ha). When I preach in a Black church the Bishop/Pastor of that church is my boss. I work under him while I am there. It is an honor for me. They treat me incredibly well.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. Evangelist.
When Joshua Francis speaks he must indicate whether the view sare his “personal views” or the “views of the United Workers Party”. Expressing those sentiments in public are similar to him not following his colleagues when they proceeded to walk out of Parliament. He is proving to be a “renegade” member of the Party which is dangerous for the reputation and sustainability of the Party.
Man/woman if you have understanding, just read the article again. All Caricom countries will soon have that discussion. It’s not a Joshua Francis thing, or Linton thing.
In order to approve of decriminalizing it the government must agree. They should not follow each other. When people follow each other wrongfully in legalizing immorality and what which will contribute to ill health and death of its nationals, it is a sure Hell for them.
They cannot stand before God and say I am sorry. Will He forgive them? God will hold them accountable for all the lives which were destroyed, mortally and spiritually. They better place God first rather than their colleagues. Life is short and death is sure. Then comes the judgment and just recompense as each one deserves.
GFC, GFC
the truth behind marijuana, and how the whole world has been brainwashed by the U.S. propaganda machine…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E96vow07OJc
The American propaganda machine is at work but not like you think. Obviously you have not looked closely.
If Obama had his way we would all be smoking marijuana, supporting same sex marriage, and promoting abortion.
This is how the American propaganda machine works. Thankfully there are still sovereign independent nations with strong traditional leaders who refuse to buy into Obama’s lies. So he is telling them “Nobody should be president for life” in his effort to get them to move on.
Sorry, but Mr. Obama represents the left in a total liberal and sad to say amoral stance.
He doesn’t bully the larger nations because he knows he doesn’t have a chance. But he seems to be taking an interest in the Caribbean, one island at a time, and the countries of Africa.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. Evangelist.
THE government should not meet with that negative lot Joshua Francis and CO. on the issue of marijuana for young people of Dominica what next GUNS, that is the pile of filth they can dish out to brain wash their supporter’s crime busters.
@the fly
Thousands of Skerrit beggars like you hav no understanding.THIS IS UNFORTUNATE! I can’t tell you to read the views of honourable Francis over, YOU STILL WILL NOT UNDERSTAND!!!
We need to do something about this situation quickly. I believe that small amounts should be decimalised and growers license should be given out in order to target international markets. The US is just the first step for international markets. Soon Europe will follow and we can find another crop to export since our banana industry is struggling.
ArAb, i don’t think so EUROPE is not that stupid look at the USA what do see with young black men, that is why we black people will always be at the Bottom of the pile look at people you looking up too so call UWP what a laugh :
DNO is read with appreciation here in Canada, not only by the Dominicans in this country (bless them),
but by others like myself, and by people around the world.
The opinions I express are not so much aimed at the Dominican government as at governments everywhere who struggle with the same issues, and at our own government in particular.
A worthy government will study the problems in its society. It will look closely to discover their causes and effects. It is time they applied their sociology 101 to the job they are being paid to do.
A caring government will act in the best interest of its people. It will refuse to be bullied by any lobby representing a special interest group that would promote the sale and use of a product especially harmful to its young people. It will stands against any practice or lifestyle that is proven to be spiritually, mentally,
physically, or socially harmful.
It will be headed by a statesman not a politician!
Sincerely, Rev, Donald Hill,…
“A caring government will act in the best interest of its people”. As in Canada, where the herb is freed up, so will it be in DA….
America is lost! It is gone down the drain!
A little leads to a little more and more. . . .
yeah stick it to them francis. a joint a day keeps the Doctor away.
Free up de herb….mon!
Free up the herb
Tangle up the people
The sooner people begin smoking the weed the quicker they will become addicted to heroin, and cocaine, and start using the really dangerous stuff.
The more young people begin smoking marijuana on a regular basis the more their grades will drop in school and the more high school and college dropouts there will be.
The greater the use of marijuana the more cannabis related illnesses will surface. More driving accidents, and accidents using heavy machinery will be reported.
The more available marijuana becomes the more cannabis will be seen to be involved in the committing of crimes.
It is part of an industry peace loving citizens want no part of. When the police raid the hangouts of big time drug pushers they find not only heroine, and cocaine. They find marijuana right alone with the so-called “heavy” drugs, and usually lot of guns. It is part and parcel of the same.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. Evangelist.
And at bay? A joint a day slowly destroys good health and leads to suffering and a slow death.
Legalize it healing of the nation
oh and it’s a billion dollar industry in Colorado, instead of the youth wasting time on the roads have them plant it and bring it in to be processed and exported by the government, a BILLION dollar money making industry in Colorado btw, take care the boat does not leave Dominica behind…. we always dun late and behind the rest of the planet…
Money, the root of all evil.
people only know of smoking marijuana in Dominica , you don’t have to smoke it to get the benefits, you can extract it using other means, and also there are MANY different strains of cannabis, even those that do not make you HIGH, yes people not all marijuana makes you high, cannabis is good for migraines, cancer, arthritis pain, just to name a few fyi….
How about eating nutritious meals and drinking orange juice and the other God-given root vegetables and fruits as also a cup of milk and water? Are you ignoring them?
I would think marijuana or whatever illegal drugs are the same as being addicted to alcohol. Both will prevent the users from eating and drinking nutritiously. This is how cancer and other illnesses set in and damage the health.
People who know the field of human health and are getting a proper diet are usually in good general health. They are not the haggard scrawny creatures you see popping pills, sucking in the weed, or injecting themselves. People whose brain is running full throttle avoid this nonsense and will not be found endorsing the use of a drug for recreational purposes.
If you are a responsible parent you would not want your child going to a school where pushers are trafficking on the corner, wondering through the yard, or walking the halls. If this problem exists you have a right (a responsibility) to. Talk to the principle and insist that it be cleaned up.
If necessary enlist the help of your nearest newspaper.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. Evangelist.
Take the KILLER RUM and cigarettes OF THE SHELF and put the PEASE HERB in their place..
That would be jumping from the frying pan into the fire.
How can you be so foolish
Rum and cigarettes are harmful to the body. Get them off the shelf. But why replace them with marijuana?
The weed is a contributing factor in some cancers. It causes certain lung and breathing problems. It damages parts of the brain responsible for memory and learning. This makes it especially dangerous for students. High school, college, and university students who are regular marijuana smokers more frequently experience a drop in grades, and more often drop out of school. (This information comes from
studies done by university medical schools.
I have read case after case of people who have gone on a crime binge of destruction and murder who were high on marijuana. It is a gateway drug, usually the first consciousness altering drug people use before using cocaine or heroine. Often it leads to a life of addiction and misery.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. Evangelist.
I totally agree and support the Hon. Joshau Francis on this issue. The Us Virgin Islands, a few Latin American countries and Jamaica have taken lead to decriminalized possession of small amount of the herb, many other countries and States doing the same. Too many lives are ruined due the current laws on the books re: to possession of small amount of marijuana or a joint. It takes a great deal of resources to feed and maintain those incarcerated for such low level crimes. Furthermore too many young lives ruined. Now is the time to explore ways and means to cultivate the herb for medicinal purposes to bring in well deserved revenues to the country. That’s my opinion.
Dont matter how dem try fi hold de ganjah done dem cannot cause prophecy have fi reveal.Marijuana shall free itself.
What prophesy? Certainly not that of our Holy Scripture.
I endorse the view of honourable Francis.A sensible discussion involving a wide cross section of society,must begin soon on what is the state’s position in so far as the cultivation of marihuana for medicinal purposes is concerned. I am not advocating the wanton consumption by anyone,I AM AGAINST THAT! However if we arrive at a sensible consensus, and if done properly and in a controlled way, we can earn valuable foreign exchange,by selling to the drug companies!!
I think it makes a lot of sense if we either allow a certain small portion, or even better if we move into medical marijuana. Moving into medical Marijuana may be the best move since it would be a controlled venture. It would be grown under control, prescribed and distributed by authorized personnel. Allowing a small amount can work but I think there must be limits as to where persons smoke (distance from public places) because not everyone wants to inhale marijuana. Just as it is pleasant for some it may be a nuisance to others. It provides many medical advances like regulating epilepsy and like sicknesses but it also has a side effect of killing cancer fighting cells. All in all, I support the move as a health and financial boost for the economy.
Name any disease and if a regular and legitimate drug already approved cannot successfully treat it neither can marijuana.
Bring in marijuana to treat that disease and it becomes mores necessary to prevent abuse and keep it out of the wrong hands.
Where the weed is available for medical purposes it is simply more available. Period!
Other more dangerous drugs are available for medical use such as morphine and a few more modern prescriptions. These are being controlled reasonably well. There is not a big recreational market for these things. The difference is there is already a potential market for marijuana among the party going fun loving crowd and many will do anything to get it. We have proof of this when we hear or read people saying, “Free the weed! Free the weed! It is almost a mantra among the thrill seeking crowd.
The more available any substance becomes the more people will used it.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. Evangelist.
It was once thought that marijuana only caused psychological addiction. Now we know it can also produce physical addiction.
It has been found to contributed to certain cancers. It can affect the lungs and cause breathing problems.
Recent university based studies have shown that regular marijuana use damages the parts of the brain responsible for memory and learning. This makes it dangerous for young people in high school, college, or university. Habitual smoking among students can lower grades and is responsible for school dropouts.
People responsible for crime sprees are often found to be high on marijuana and alcohol. Sometimes the mix includes one or two of the heavier drugs, marijuana being the first drug they ingested.
Marijuana is known to be a \”gateway\” drug. It is usually (perhaps after alcohol) the first drug
a young person will try, and is their entrance into the drug scene.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. Evangelist.
sikiri, the man for dem… we need him for prime minister ext election year.
hmmm………okay