‘The second

of a two-part commentary on reforming Bermuda’s cannabis laws by Cheryl Pooley By Cheryl Pooley

Misinformation does more harm than good

Misinformation on the outcome of cannabis use will do more harm to young people than honest and factual information.

If Government or alcohol and drug prevention agencies place TV adverts or print publications which exaggerate health consequences from smoking marijuana, and report part mistruths about its effects then young people will potentially not believe the “whole message” because “part of the message” is not true.

It is ridiculous to have a local TV advert showing a teenager hearing a dog talk to him after he has smoked a joint. LSD may cause this reaction because it is a hallucinogenic drug.

Marijuana is not a hallucinogenic drug and a person would have to have a predisposition to mental illness to experience such a response.

It is misleading for local youth publications to have statements read that smoking marijuana can lead to infertility.

This is pure propaganda. Countries in the southern hemisphere of the globe enjoy more relaxed laws on marijuana and show no signs of decline in populations.

Bermuda anti-alcohol and drug agencies have produced literature that claims marijuana causes three times the amount of cancer found in a cigarette.

This is deceitful, patently inaccurate and contradicts not only the World Health Organisation statistics but many other reputable international government health agency conclusions.

The US National Centre for Biotechnology Information reveals the overall risks to the respiratory systems are far lower from smoking cannabis than from tobacco.

Cancer Research UK concluded that 14 case control studies involving many different types of cancer were mixed and the researchers could not make any firm conclusions about the risk of cannabis causing cancer.

Most researchers found that after they adjusted data to account for smoking cigarettes and other common risk factors such as alcohol, the link between cannabis and cancer often disappeared.

They concluded that if cannabis did affect cancer risk, the effect was likely to be small.

These points raised support the statement made by former Progressive Labour Party MP, Delaey Robinson, that there has been 50 years or more of propaganda, especially from the US Government.

Mr. Robinson caused controversy in Bermuda 14 years ago when as a backbench Member of Parliament he called for an end to the “stop list”.

When interviewed two months ago by The Royal Gazette Mr Robinson welcomed debate on reforms to the Island’s cannabis laws but cautioned that an educated approach to the topic rather than just opening the gates.

He like many of his Baby-boomer contemporaries are concerned that teenagers under the age of 18 could experience adverse affects from smoking marijuana, but they support decriminalising for adult recreational use.

So what is the truth about using marijuana when you are too young and how to regulate this aspect should marijuana be decriminalised for adult use.

Notably there has been a paradigm shift in the US with respect to educating the public on marijuana; the Obama administration has replaced propaganda with factual information.

The White House National Drug Policy & Drug Facts website notes more teens are killed by alcohol than be all illegal drugs combined.

It states that using marijuana while you are young and still maturing can have a long lasting negative impact on the developing brain.

The UK Royal College of Psychiatrists identifies teens with a predisposition to mental health had, over the past few years research, strongly suggested a link between early cannabis use and higher risk of developing depression and anxiety in later years.

How to regulate marijuana once it is decriminalised

In the UK an adult caught in possession of under an ounce of marijuana is issued a warning the first time, an £80 fine is levied on the spot the second time and the third time they are caught they will be charged.

Under 18s are given a reprimand the first time, a final warning the second time in the presence of an appropriate adult, and a third offence can lead to criminal charges which will refer them to a Youth Rehabilitation Programme.

Statistics released by the Bermuda National Drug Control of 243 college students in 2013 reveal 46 percent have taken cannabis and 25 percent are current users.

It is time for us to ask ourselves that if prohibition is not working, then why have this self imposed “stop list”.

The other question to ask is why should there be any criminal offence for carrying under ounce for persons over the age of 18.

Why not go further than what the UK has regulated and allow for personal recreational use for a minimal amount?

If the criminality for using marijuana recreationally is removed and it does become regulated, it most certainly should be taxed.

This tax revenue could be divided three ways so that partial funds goes to rehabilitation programmes, part goes to pay for its regulation and the remainder is surplus government income.

There could be three regulated local Bermuda incorporated dispensaries for recreational marijuana positioned east, west and central.

A separate dispensary for medical marijuana would probably be best established and subsidised by Government and patients taxed less.

These dispensaries could fall under the government department that issues regulates alcohol licences, similar to the Liquor Control Board the agency charged with developing rules for the marijuana industry in Washington State and Colorado.

Most worthwhile to consider, is the decriminalisation for cultivating a limited amount of plants for personal use as this certainly would be healthier and better controlled by the individual in terms of the THC levels, organic methods and proper drying and storage to avoid mildew.

In the mid-1970s a ½ ounce of marijuana sold for $10; today it costs $300 because prohibition has driven up the price but not decreased consumption.

It has resulted in revenue for gangs and helped them to flourish and influence our adolescents.

Personal cultivation and regulated purchase will definitely break the back of gang influence in Bermuda.

The details for developing rules on purchasing marijuana by adults for recreational use is a topic for another article.

It is complex and requires knowledge of regulatory law, statistical analysis, personal cultivation methods and government licenced distributors.

In a perfect world human beings would not feel the need to seek any substance that alters their state of awareness, people would enjoy themselves at social functions without a drink or joint, a perfect world would hold no stress.

But we don’t live in Utopia, and the reality is that the masses have a drink or two after work or a joint.

Both alcohol and marijuana are addictive if abused, but it is wrong for one to be legal and the other illegal.

Not everyone that has a couple of drinks a week or a couple of joints a week is going to become an alcoholic or pot head.

Rational legislation to decriminalise marijuana needs to be implemented in Bermuda and the self imposed US Stop List needs to be disbanded before it does any further harm to our people.