Media Release:
Re: Legalization of Cannabis and the stability of our Nation
Waajihatul Islaamiyyah (The Islamic Front) warns, that the Nation is facing an epic opening of a social floodgate by the government of the day and most of the citizenry is oblivious of the impending potential catastrophe which may come to their homes and places of comfort.
The true value of a democratic government is epitomized in its ability to make decisions which will enhance the lives and interest of the population in a manner that is morally, ethically and socially progressive.
Waajihatul Islaamiyyah (The Islamic Front) is asking the question, Will the legalization of Cannabis bring such a standard to our beloved nation? Will it add value to the culture of peace, harmony and safety which we aspire to create and develop for our generations to come?
To bring you to answering this question honestly, you must be made aware of what Cannabis is verses what “Marijuana” or “ganja” or “weed” or “the blunt” is.
Cannabis
https://www.britannica.com/plant/cannabis-plant
An aromatic herb, with origins from the South Asian continent.
Marijuana or Weed or Ganga or The Blunt.
“In Colorado, which made marijuana legal in November 2012, the latest results show that the pot lining store shelves is much more potent than the weed of 30 years ago. But the boost in power comes at a cost—modern marijuana mostly lacks the components touted as beneficial by medical marijuana advocates, and it is often contaminated with fungi, pesticides and heavymetals.
“There's a stereotype, a hippy kind of mentality, that leads people to assume that growers are using natural cultivation methods and growing organically," says Andy LaFrate, founder of Charas Scientific, one of eight Colorado labs certified to test cannabis.
His group has tested more than 600 strains of marijuana from dozens of producers. Potency tests, the only ones Colorado currently requires, looked at tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive compound that produces the plant's famous high. They found that modern weed contains THC levels of 18 to 30 percent—double to triple the levels that were common in buds from the 1980s. That's because growers have cross-bred plants over the years to create more powerful strains, which today tout colorful names like Bruce Banner, Skunk berry and Blue Cookies. Those thinking that stronger pot is always better pot might think again. Breeding for more powerful marijuana has led to the virtual absence of cannabinol (CBD), a compound being investigated for treatments to a range of ills, from anxiety and depression to schizophrenia, Huntington's disease and Alzheimer's.
Reports from the countries who have legalized Cannabis indicate that the new struggle is the impact it is having on the users of the drug. The now legal producers are finding ways to create addicts.
Drive along the streets of any average village or community and what do you see? A bar or liquor mart almost every hundred meters. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6202816/
“Over 60% of households (HHs) in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) consume alcohol. These HHs were more likely to report illnesses, relationship problems, and behavioral problems with children.”
We have been found to be ranked among the highest in the world for porn viewership and downloads according to a local newspaper report: https://www.guardian.co.tt/article-6.2.359040.f9859028b2
How many school children end up with cigarettes because of careless parents and irresponsible retailers?
According to the World Health Organization:
“Trinidad and Tobago has the highest population of smokers in the English-speaking Caribbean (27%), with second-hand smoke posing a threat to public health. The 2007 Global School-based Health Survey of 2,969 students (10–18 years old) at 32 secondary schools in Trinidad and Tobago revealed that 9.9% of students (11.2% of males and 8.5% of females) had smoked cigarettes on one or more days during the previous 30 days. Of students who smoked, 80.9% had tried their first cigarette at age 13 years or younger. The rate in the 16- to 18-year age group was 17.9% (22.5% males and 13.4% females).”
Waajihatul Islaamiyyah (The Islamic Front) is asking the question, can Trinidad and Tobago really handle more “addicts”?
The Government is touting this legalization as being a benefit to the nation but the track record of the state to properly regulate anything that can be abused in this country is evidence enough to support the statement that this nation may be facing a social catastrophe.
We need to have a channeled system for this to be of any real benefit to the persons whose choice it is to use the herb. Cannabis use should not become lateral and equal to the use of cigarettes or alcohol.
Allowing the entire population to have the right to growing it, even in a small quantity, is a recipe for chaos. The negative impact from abuse or misuse of this herb cannot be overstated. According to: https://www.britannica.com/science/marijuana
Marijuana’s effects vary, depending upon the strength and amount consumed, the setting in which it is taken, and the experience of the user. Psychological effects tend to predominate, with the user commonly experiencing a mild euphoria. Alterations in vision and judgment result in distortions of time and space. Acute intoxication may occasionally induce visual hallucinations, anxiety, depression, extreme variability of mood, paranoid reactions, and psychoses lasting four to six hours. Marijuana’s physical effects include reddening of the eyes, dryness of the mouth and throat, moderate increase in the rapidity of the heartbeat, tightness of the chest (if the drug is smoked), drowsiness, unsteadiness, and muscular incoordination.
Chronic use does not establish physical dependence, nor does the regular user suffer extreme physical discomfort after withdrawal. However, the use of marijuana may be psychologically habituating. Research indicates that marijuana use during the teenage years is associated with an increased risk of depression in young adulthood.
Instead the discussion should be about creating a structure where the commercial planting, process and distribution is controlled and recorded.
Waajihatul Islaamiyyah (The Islamic Front) is advocating:
1) The Government should consider having one (1) national authority for testing and processing the plant for use or consumption.
2) The growing of the plant should be limited to registered and licensed farmers who must be able to show that they can secure and protect their crop from easy access. This will create the environment for proper business amongst the farming community.
3) There should be an established list that defines what variety of Cannabis plants will be allowed. This will prevent the tampering of the genetic makeup of the plant, thus protecting the end – user.
4) These farmers must then trade their produce at a government-approved rate to the authority that is established for distribution to authorized users. This will allow an even field for the small farmer vs the large farmer.
5) Persons who want to purchase the processed plant can then be categorized into genres such as research, health or recreation.
6) All customers to the authority should be made to register with a minimal registration fee and be given a specific registration number so that the state can account for all persons who have legal access to the plant at any time.
7) Persons found to be using or in possession can then be easily identified by the police as either legitimate or illegitimate.
8) The product should be branded and specific markers attached so that the batches and production date can be identified. This will prevent unauthorized products from entering the market.
This system will benefit the entire nation by way of the state gaining revenue streams through regulation and sale of the products. It will create entrepreneurs in the farming community and the illegal drug trade in this sector will die as a consequence of the operational cost and loss of customers.
Off course, like everything typical Trini-styled, persons will try to beat the system and off course persons will continue to end up before the courts. We cannot become a society where, due to the high frequency of persons breaking the law, we opt to change the law to accommodate law-breakers. We have seen this stance being taken time and time again, with the Private Cars working as taxis, the speed limit etc. There must remain a level of control.
We also cannot allow politicians to use our divided stance, subjected to what affects us or how we feel personally and directly, to coerce us into voting or supporting them. After they attain office where they are paid exorbitant salaries, which they determine for themselves, it is us, you and I, the regular citizens who are left to live, day in day out, with the ills of the social fallout that come with rash decision-making and laws passing.
Murder, rape, robbery, assault, organized crime, domestic violence, broken homes, destroyed lives of loved ones and the list goes on.
To the sober-minded citizens of this nation, if you do not come out and have a say on this matter, Marijuana will be coming to the shops and street corners near you, courtesy the political ambitions of a government desperate for five more years of authoritarian rule under the guise of democracy.
Waajihatul Islaamiyyah (The Islamic Front) is calling on the entire population to say NO to Legalization and Yes to Legislative Regulation!
For Immediate Release:
Date: Monday 25th November 2019
Umar Abdullah
Head of Waajihatul Islaamiyyah (The Islamic Front)
Tel: +18687870765 or +18683656253
Posts
