T&T- Ministry of Health being sued over Ganja laws

By Caribbean Medical News Staff
Trinidad’s first incorporated Cannabis Law Reform Non-governmental Organisation (NGO), has informed that the Ministry of Health is being sued over ganja laws.
The director and co-founder of C420, Colin Stephenson said: “Under current law in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the possession, import, export, sale, manufacture, production, cultivation or distribution of cannabis is legal as long as one has been issued a licence.”
Stephenson said C420 is “in possession of a legal opinion from the Ministry of Health confirming the same.”
“In light of this, C420 has made several applications for medicinal cannabis licences on behalf of individuals who feel cannabis will be effective as a treatment for their illnesses,” Stephenson said.
“Since 2014, C420 has been appealing for a moratorium on arrests for cannabis possession whilst the so-called CARICOM Cannabis Commission continues to pontificate on non-issues such as decriminalisation, which is a fallacy since cannabis is already decriminalised in the majority of CARICOM States.”
“Notably, within Trinidad and Tobago in 2014, C420 wrote to the Acting Chief of Police, Chief Justice, Minister of Justice, Minister of Legal Affairs, Attorney General as well as the Prime Minister, calling for an immediate moratorium on cannabis arrests,” Stephenson said.
Stephenson knocked former Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan for purportedly being “derelict in his duty” to write cannabis regulations.
“C420 will be seeking a meeting with the newly-appointed Minister of Health, the Honourable Terrence Deyalsingh, to discuss cannabis law reform,” Stephenson said.
He said that the issue of cannabis law reform needs to be addressed by the Administration.

“C420 is of the opinion that Dr. the Honourable Fuad Khan was derelict in his duties as minister of Health insofar as he had failed to make rules that govern the use of cannabis; failed to make it known to the people that laws regarding lawful cannabis possession actually exist and failed to explore the efficacy of the cannabis plant for uses other than smoking.
“Also, assurances were given to our legal counsel by the advisor to the then minister of Health, Mr Hamid O’Brien, that applications for cannabis licences were regularly received and approved by the Ministry. Mr Hamid O’Brien further assured that such applications were processed in four to six weeks,” Stephenson added.
He said that, “Despite the aforementioned assurances, an inordinate amount of time has elapsed and C420 has been left with no recourse other than to instruct our legal counsel to serve the Ministry of Health with a pre-action protocol letter. A request will also be made under the Freedom of Information Act in an attempt to ascertain whether any cannabis licences have been granted by the Ministry of Health at any point in time.”

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