Marijuana will remain illegal in Dominca – AG

A marijuana plant

Despite calls by some circles to legalize marijuana in Dominica, Attorney General Levi Peter has made it clear that this will not be done anytime soon.

“Marijuana will continue to be an illegal substance in Dominica in the foreseeable future,” he said.

The Attorney General spoke on the matter when he addressed a crime and violence forum in Pointe Michel on Monday.

“So as far as society is concerned at this point in time marijuana is an illegal substance and until the laws are changed then that in my humble opinion should be respected,” Peter reiterated.

The Attorney General is not convinced that there is a popular call for the laws to be changed regarding the legality of Marijuana on the island.

“The laws can be changed like most if not all laws and if people feel strongly about it they will lobby their various parliamentary representatives to change it but I suspect that there is not a ground swell of opinions for the legalization of Marijuana in Dominica,” he pointed out.

Marijuana has been classified as a Class B drug in Dominica meaning that it’s illegal to possess, cultivate, or sell the substance.

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65 Comments

  1. ice cold
    August 30, 2012

    I really wanted to stay away from this debate on weed but i must say why do people think they know the effects of smoking weed when they never have not even out of research. Marijuana smokers will defend their shit till they die cause we know what it does we don’t need to read it in a book written by some idiot with a chain of Rx factories the facts are in us. consider this when you look at marpin or chronicle or any obituaries how many rastas do you see what happen when de weed kill us we turn to dust. Nonsense

  2. weedman 1
    August 30, 2012

    man legalize the herb watch amsterdam dat is d weed central of the planet dem people making so much money on that ……… legalize dat let our people buy that that will start the money flow and ease up dem tension in the island

    • anonymous2
      August 30, 2012

      Most governments will never legalize it, especially those of the 3rd world countries who are overseen by the UN.
      Too much money in the lucrative drug business and the courts make more on fines from the potters. So all the govt. elements win and the people lose. It only goes to show you who really controls governments.

  3. Anonymous
    August 30, 2012

    Sell it and Tax it

  4. Green
    August 30, 2012

    Dear Mr AG,

    I hope you can stand behind these words even after we prove you wrong!

    The reason everyone is afraid to Lobby, Protest and cause change in several of these ridiculous statuary laws is because of discrimination by you and your legal circles.

    But make no Mistake.. Enlightenment is coming. Dominica is a FREE country and we are all FREE men. Our Law (the common law not the admiralty law you presume we have consented to be guided under) is based on the supremacy of God and Equality of ALL men.

    Tell me if we are all equal who are you to decide what it is we can possess and cannot possess and what it is we can smoke and not smoke, eat and not eat and plant and not plant.

    Be careful how you tread… you might tread on the wrong “NEST”.

    yours truly
    anonymous

  5. hilroy alfred
    August 30, 2012

    i would have really loved to believe that our attorney general would have been a much more intelligent and open minded man than this. i can only laugh at the law makers ignorance when it comes to the herb. i say decriminalize it and tax it.

  6. 1979
    August 30, 2012

    and there will be no honesty from people like you any time soon either peters….

    you look exactly like the person you are… a worm with no back bone.

  7. sphynx
    August 30, 2012

    alchohol:legalize;prostitution:legalize;cigarettes:legalize;white-collar robbery:legalize;dirty dancing and nakedness on the streets:legalize;homosexuality:legalize;but a plant which is there from creation with healing powers giving them problems because they cannot tax it or they don’t know how to go about it.

    • Gaza
      August 30, 2012

      it destroying the youth

  8. Rastar-Marn
    August 30, 2012

    Well yah marijuana is an illegal substance because some fellows whom are Odd arbitrarily came up with some Wills to allege such in one of their statutes,,,

    The real issue to Ask Mr. Livi: Is Cannabis Sativa and all the other annual herbaceous plants in the Cannabaceae family illegal inhabitant in this realm???

    I cannot wait for mista dem to come ask me question in their arbitrary tribunal yeah,,,

    Dem man created the word marijuana so they could capitalize on it’s profits but little did they know it was such an uncontrollable Cannabaceae,,,

    This Plant is truly a Weed cause it doesn’t take much for it to grow,,,

  9. Calm
    August 29, 2012

    Marijuanna is illegal because the government cant make money off it. Most people will be self employed and not working for the government. It is also used for medical purposes to cure cancer, glacoma , asthma and etc. When jus fire is added to marijuanna it is considered illegal but when it is mechanically processed with all different kind of chemicals which causes many side effects it is legal. I dont understand. Cigarettes which causes cancer and are one of the main causes of death is legal and not marijuanna which cures this illness. I say with confidence that I have never heard someone dieing of of smoking/drinking marijuanna

    • Old doc
      August 30, 2012

      it gives cancer monkey.. where did u git that rubbish from? its better that you go back to grade k! when will you addicts in local terms “parros” ever learn and strive to protects the youths, the future of tomorrow. smh

      • health worker
        August 31, 2012

        How many people you know have had cancer form cannibis? im sure you can count on your toes and fingers the number of people you know who died from lung,throat,stomach, pancreatic and other cancers from cigarette and alcohol use,both legal drugs.I guess dying from these can be considered LEGAL death but from marijuana, “illegal death” , and is punishable either by fine or imprisonment, an act so questionable.

      • smdh
        April 14, 2016

        im sure ur cabinet full of rum though. then you want to call people parro.

    • December 16, 2013

      Not entirely correct.

      If marijuana was made illegal the government could make money on it.

      (1) They could make the growers/producers pay for a license to grow or produce marijuana for commercial purposes.

      (2) They could make stores pay for a license to sell the product.

      (3) They could charge an income tax on the money made from the sale of the weed either in bulk form or in joints.

      (4) They could make exporters pay for a license to export.

      However, legalizing the drug would not eliminate illegal dealers.

      Some will continue to grow or sell without a license because they don’t want to pay for a license. After all they have done it all these years without a license. Why should they start paying for a license now?

      Some will continued to grow or sell without a license to avoid paying the income tax on their profits.

      Young people under the legal age to buy will continue to buy from the unlicensed dealers.

      The drug will be more available. Consumption will increase. It is a known fact that the more available a substance is the more people use it.

      Obviously as the consumption increases the problems created by smoking the weed will also increase.

      Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. Pentecostal Evangelist.

      • December 16, 2013

        :oops: I meant to say …

        If marijuana was legal the government could make money on it.

        Sorry! Rev. Donald Hill.

  10. hmmm
    August 29, 2012

    Then y r those lucians allowed to smuggle it into our country and sell it behind their counter from under their gowns? The smelly one with the yellow teeth behind the counter is the ring leader when his padna go on d boat with “the goods”.

    1-800-hint….. 8-O

    • DNO
      August 30, 2012

      To admin:

      these are the kind of comments that you should not post. Comments that seek to degrade people. Is this an intelligent way to describe someone. Even if this comment could make sense on any level, just the way in which it was written and the choice of words made it a turn off

      • hmmm
        August 31, 2012

        well then remain turned off imbecile, freedom of speech and press. We cannot profit from it, sell it or use it, neither should foreigners be allowed to here! You must b one of them… This is not degrading, you go in there for yourself one day, you’ll see.

  11. really?
    August 29, 2012

    i glad haha no drugs for u sick people in your skin ban it self!!! i glad we everytime then!! i hearing things on radio and news about a drug story peopl going to jsil we any way bann it we

  12. me
    August 29, 2012

    anna nicole smith —RX drugs—DEAD

    michael jackson —–RX drugs—DEAD

    whitney houston——Rx drugs and Alcohol—DEAD

    Amy whinehouse——-alcohol —DEAD

    cheech and chong —marijuana —alive and well!

    • There is reason to believe that these people also use illegal drugs. Some of their prescription drugs were illegal because their prescriptions were written unethically by renegade physicians. In some cases it was a combination of drugs that should never have been taken together, or a combination of drugs and alcohol that killed them. It does not make a good case for the coolness of drug use.

      Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill.

  13. Annon
    August 29, 2012

    Levi said “I suspect that there is not a ground swell of opinions for the legalization of Marijuana in Dominica,” he pointed out.

    Fact is that there is not only aground swell but Dominica is inundated with calls decriminalizing and/or legalizing Marijuana.

    He may mean that not enough politicians are behind the call. Therefore those who support the call should ‘Lobby’ their politicians actively to sway them on their side. That’s one of the only ways to get it done.

  14. KaliBud
    August 29, 2012

    How can weed be considered harmful when doctors recommend it to patients in pain, including cancer patients and people that are terminally ill. Are we implying that these doctors are trying to kill them faster or relieve their pain?

    • Malgraysa
      August 30, 2012

      Prescribing drugs is not the same as making the open sale of them legal. Doctors also prescribe morphine but you can not buy it legally without that prescription.

      • smdh
        April 14, 2016

        sins vs crimes. All these drugs your described are manufacturered. Open sale would mean the death of pharmaceutical companies and putting power back into the everyday man’s hands

    • Not all doctors will recommend marijuana.

      However when it is used for medical purposes it should only be when it is recommended by a physician and used only under the oversight of a licensed doctor. So what is your point :?: We also oppose the abuse of any other drug.

      Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill

  15. anon
    August 29, 2012

    cannabis has the potential to be dominica’s greatest cash crop ever; one of the few things that could salvage our feeble economy. Legalization, regulation and taxation is definitely the way to go! but because of how this amazing plant has been demonized mainly by western society over the years, just the though legalization seems ridiculous.

  16. kapat
    August 29, 2012

    Why would all you want them to legalize marijuana in Dominica.Aren’t you guys seeing the amount of PARO this thing have already created in young men of society.Nowadays people cannot even keep their door open to take a walk up the lawee. By time they come back,chicken gone,rabbit gone,purse disappear,how many dasheen dispawet.
    Next thing all you saying is people that do them that.Want Dominica to become like Mexico and Colombia then?
    It is true abuse of alcohol may kill,but with that leaf being in the presence of people will just open up the way for more cruel intention when they get infused with it…

    • MYSTICAL
      August 29, 2012

      Drug possession has been legal in Portugal since the turn of the century. it has also been made legal in the Czech Republic. It has been officially documented that drug use and abuse has actually gone down and the resources that were once used to fight and control it are now being used in educational programs which has given way to it’s decline.

    • am
      August 30, 2012

      vagrants are hooked on cocaine not weed…and they take crack because their is no jobs or stability in the country

    • smh
      August 30, 2012

      Don’t be a bloody idiot
      Those paro’s in town SMOKE COCAINE and are that way because of it. Many young children in school smoke marijuana as well as some prominent businessmen, doctors, lawyers and bankers. Marijuana is used in medicine to treat numerous ailments. Before you cry down the drug at least do SOME research to see it’s effects. Marijuana in it’s purest form is Not harmful to you. Additives included with Marijuana make it dangerous. However you cannot say Marijuana which is not proven to be the cause of death for people or give them long term illness or cause grievous illness, should be illegal while having Cigarettes, which cause cancer and have more deaths attributed to it’s use than AIDS, legal or even Alcohol for that matter. make public highness illegal like public intoxication. Make Marijuana Available via prescription and set up grow factories and have the weed tested with pass and fail marks. illiminate the criminal aspect of it and profit. If you wait for a larger country to do it first then you will not be able to profit from it as they would have already exported it and established relations and dominance.

    • smdh
      April 14, 2016

      not marijuana that caused that. If thats the case you calling people like the trotters and burtons and other rasta families that use herb paros and thieves. Shame on you. intelligence and common sense really cant be bought.

    • Casio
      December 3, 2019

      Noone smokes the leaf. You sir are a joke.

  17. ridiculous
    August 29, 2012

    The whole issue is ridiculous. Marijuana is smoked all over the country, in homes, on street corners, in ally ways, at fetes, on basketball courts, do these guys get arrested? NO!..Some of our lawyers, doctors, white collar workers, folks in high office smoke the stuff….are they arrested? No No. But last week a tourist leaving via the Ferry was arrested and treated worse than we treat murderers for possession of 2 little spliffs. Come on lawmakers, get organised and get sensible, if its illegal make it so for everyone. Make your minds up which way it really is.

  18. Positive vibes
    August 29, 2012

    i am very glad …….domincans are too stupid..marijuana is not healthy…it only downsizes ur life span…LEARN THAT.SMH

    • I know people...
      August 30, 2012

      Its strange that you should say that it downsizes lifespan when it is clinically impossible to determine the lifespan of anyone that is not cancer free, btw cancer exist in all hums, progressive cancer is treated as an illness, dormant cancer is in us all, its whats makes us have a lifespan to begin with, marijuana increases the possibility of cancer cells to remain dormant in a human being.

    • toots
      August 30, 2012

      A aint getting any posivitivity from you :cry:

  19. toots
    August 29, 2012

    More people die through drinking alcohol, nearly all crime across the world is caused by alcohol, They wont admit it but governments worldwide would loose money if weed was allowed to be sold. I never heard of a murder etc been caused by a person under the influence of weed, however thousands killed while under the influence of drink, perhaps Im wrong but in my opinion weed does less damage all round

    • Actually, many crimes have been committed by people high on marijuana. The weed is frequently associated with criminal activity.

      People who sell marijuana will often be selling cocaine and heroine as well.

      People who sell marijuana and these other drugs often carry a gun.

      People who sell marijuana and the hard drugs frequently sell guns.

      People who go on a binge of violence are sometimes found to be high on marijuana. Here in Canada we are already having a problem with people driving under the influence of the weed. So much so the police are on T.V. warning us that DUI (driving under the influence) includes the influence of marijuana not only alcohol. A serious charge.

      It is guilt by association :!: Marijuana is associated with crime. Bad stuff. Not something a good government would approve.

      Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill.

      • Medical marijuana :?:

        Have they proven that marijuana does a better job than any regular prescription drug would do at killing pain or curing anything :?:

        The crusade to legalize marijuana for medicinal use is the first step towards legalizing recreational marijuana.

        Many (maybe most) of those in my country who have a letter from a doctor authorizing them to buy marijuana for a medical purpose smoked the weed for recreation long before it was said to have any medical use. Then they found a way to get it paid for by the government or their drug insurance plan so they had a doctor *prescribe* it.

        Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill.

  20. Jayson
    August 29, 2012

    “Judging by every metric, decriminalization in Portugal has been a resounding success,” says Glenn Greenwald, an attorney, author and fluent Portuguese speaker, who conducted the research. “It has enabled the Portuguese government to manage and control the drug problem far better than virtually every other Western country does.”

    Read more: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1893946,00.html#ixzz24xKFskSY

  21. phucet
    August 29, 2012

    I live in the usvi, and to tell you the truth almost half the youths smoke weed,and not one is in the mad house. So all that bull about weed gets you sick when you smoke it is just a sharm.There is no work,nothing to stimulate there minds.It would be best to educate about the use of the herb.Look around and see the effect alcohol have on the youths when they drink,..Yet alcohol is legal.So free up the herb and burn the coke….

    • toots
      August 30, 2012

      Totally agree

    • You are talking about youth or young people. They have not had time to get to the mad house.

      Some have dropped out of school.

      Others are in jail.

      Some are now using harder drugs for a better high.

      According to your comment those who use alcohol are harmed by it so it is likely thy will also use marijuana to excess and be harmed. If not cocaine or heroine will do them in.

      Sincerely, Rev, Donald Hill.

  22. Faceup
    August 29, 2012

    People, all over Dominica has RUM shops killing people, why dont we have ligalised weed coffee shops where you are allowed to smoke in there and not in the pulic eye, that way the government can make some money to,and life is sweet,and smokers can stay of stockfarm. Its so strange to me to see the hyprocracy of big time officials in Government, cause me i say me has somoked weed with some of them WOW !!!

  23. keykiss
    August 29, 2012

    Legalizing marijuana makes nosense to my likin cause everybody is sayin legalize it when it is legalize how you all goin to sell it everybody have wat are u all goin to do and I am not supportin legalize a lot of youths will be worst than how they are think of it ppl before sayin all this

  24. Behind enemy lines
    August 29, 2012

    Spain is about to legalise marijuana . I don’t see why this isn’t the case for the caribbean.

    23 Seattle Marijuana Dispensaries Get DEA LettersHumboldt Stories: Caitlin Wakes UpNAACP Joins Effort To Legalize Marijuana In Colorado
    Spanish Basque Country Legalizing Marijuana In 2012
    41 CommentsBy Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ in Global, Legislation, News Tuesday, December 13, 2011 at 9:47 am

    Flashpoints
    The Basque Country in Spain (yellow area on the map) is legalizing marijuana in 2012.
    ​As the U.S. federal government torques up its war on marijuana, parts of Europe are going in the other direction. The Socialist government of the Basque Country in Spain will approve a law in early 2012 which legalizes the cultivation, sale and consumption of cannabis, according to health authorities in the province.

    The Basque government, led by Patxi Lopez, has decided it is better to regulate clubs where consumers will be able to use marijuana which will be produced and distributed by members of the club themselves, reports Typically Spanish.

    Spanish drug laws currently distinguish between possession for personal use, and production or sale. Possession carries administrative fines, but production and sale currently can result in jail time.

    Government officials said the new law would better explain the consequences of consumption to the public, and would create “a certain space for personal autonomy,” adding that prohibition only leads to “clandestine action, delinquency and the black market.”

    “It is better to regulate than to ban,” said Jesus Maria Fernandez, second in command at the region’s health authority, reports the European Coalition for Just and Effective Drug Policies (ENCOD). Fernandez called marijuana use “a practice that is already consolidated.”

    ENCOD
    “We do not want to be prohibitionists,” agreed leading health official Rafael Bengoa, who said “technical and legal studies have been undertaken.”

    ​The Basque region already has many cannabis social clubs, which until now have been subject to occasional raids by the police.

    According to Bengoa, the Basque regional government wants to “open a debate” with groups in favor of cannabis legalization and to “shape their rights.”

    Marijuana legalization is just one part of an overall bill on drug addiction, which also addresses treatment for gambling addictions (which reportedly affect two percent of the Basque population) and for “addiction to new technology” (of course we wouldn’t know anything about that).

    The news from Spain follows Switzerland’s announcement that it will permit residents to grow up to four cannabis plants for personal consumption starting on January 1, 2012.

    In much of Europe, cannabis has become so much a part of everyday life that almost nobody takes notice of its legal standing anymore, reports PR Canna Zine. The process now underway is one of laws and politicians finally catching up with the public.

    Tags: basque, legalization, spain
    More links from around the web!

  25. Sensi Buds
    August 29, 2012

    Fair enough…it’s up to the planters and smokers…nuff respect Mr.A.G. 8)

  26. TW
    August 29, 2012

    Legalize it tax it and export it or Make Cigarettes and Alcohol illegal. Alcohol causes alot more death and problems than marijuana does. Legalize it and profit from it or let someone else go first and make all the profits on your behalf

  27. zeebba
    August 29, 2012

    d bigger heads…alu alone that want 2 make d money …we no d profit an benifit of it 2 just like alu (police).wen man pulling up an smoke a little joint police running behind u,go at your home an smoke they want 2 burst your door an say they looking 4GUN wat 2 do in dominica again free up d weed make d youghts free so we can make d money an have a better life

    • smh
      August 29, 2012

      spelling like that won’t help your cause…

    • "O" STRESS!
      August 29, 2012

      Sounds like you had a smoke if that is what it does to others like you. God help Dominica.

    • me
      August 29, 2012

      it is legal in many states of the US but because these same people give us money to destroy it we continue to make our youth anti social and confused throwing them in jail or fining them for a HERB,,, politician are cockroaches who feed on the scraps of others,,,i am dominica and to hell with what THEY want it is time to do what is right,,,legalize the herb and come down even harder on drugs

  28. Ganja Farmer
    August 29, 2012

    Ok, finally we get a senior Government official to talk about Herb. I welcome the discussion even if the AG down played that the masses are in favor of the decriminalization and legalization of this Mystic but beneficial plant.

    DNO, once again, I call on you to get a poll going. Prove the naysayers, critiques and the AG that Dominica is ready to make this “bold” step for the betterment of the socio – economic status of the Nature Isle…. get the impetus rolling DNO.

    Let us all rally together, stand firm, resolute and use this poll as it will be worn as a driving force to send a clear message to the politicians and Governments that there are over 30,000 Herb users in the Commonwealth of Dominica that want this law to be amended and that these 30,000 votes can make or break any political party or Government.

    How can we call ourselves the “Nature Island of the World” and have selective parts of Nature Illegal?
    Legalize the Herb in the Nature Island

    • "O" STRESS!
      August 29, 2012

      RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! Do not Legalize the Herb. For all those who want to smoke the Illegal Herb make our day.Blanchard.

      • High Grade
        August 29, 2012

        ‘O’ Stress……Go take a rest. Your pressure up my Boy, Herb is D best. Don’t be a mess,We talking bout legalization, sensible conversation, ease up D meditation.’O’ Stress, for Stress, Herb is the Best.

        Semecontwa, dandilion, baselic, rosemary, and pepermint should be illegal too. AAAAAAAAAAAAAR, hear this little boy, FRRRRRRRRRRRRA, wrap up a Big Bamboo.

        We smoke D Herb and get a humble thought, we work, contribute, we make our day, not yours, Blanchard you too sot.

        Legalize the Herb.

      • Gaza
        August 30, 2012

        @High Grade go and smoke baselic instead you will have more common sense.

    • Gaza
      August 30, 2012

      awa don’t try that! you mean Dominica has 30,000 retarded people? i don’t think so you must have counted yourself thousands of times.

  29. داوود عبد الرحمن
    August 29, 2012

    It is because many of these people in power are educated fools thus they bray like donkeys.

    If marijuana is a class B drug and there has been no reports of deaths, cancer etc associated with marijuana. What class are cigarettes, alcohol and many other pharmaceutics which cause serious harm and death to human beings?

    Here is documented evidence of marijuana used in ancient Egypt on papyrus scrolls.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PEbers_c41-bc.jpg

    It is time for the Dominican populace to re-educate themselves on the benefits of marijuana and use this plant as a medicine pure and simple.

    I am against youth wasting time on the block smoking their lives away. Respected farmers should be given license to farm marijuana so that we can use the plant for secondary production such as soaps, clothes, ropes and medicine. How foolish can we be by simply burning down natural plants.

    • toots
      August 29, 2012

      How true

    • me
      August 29, 2012

      Allahu Ahkbar

  30. I-am-not-a-smoker
    August 29, 2012

    Legalizing weed will effect a reduction in its monetary value – reducing the need to sell it underground – reducing the crime related to the weed business. It would be one less relatively harmless drug to worry about… weed isn’t destroying the youths, is the additives they put in it that is effing up their brains… cus weed in itself isn’t that harmful, and has medical benefits… but I am no smoker just sharing my views

  31. Faceup
    August 29, 2012

    SO, SO very many, many people who is dying i say dying from addiction to alcohol in DA, tell me, i say tell me how many who is dying from smoking weed.Sell the weed and tacks it, then weed will be cheaper, and crimes will be less. Think !!!!

    • "O" STRESS!
      August 29, 2012

      Face down. correction. TAX. not tacks! Watch what you smoke.

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