By Robert A Emmanuel
United Progressive Party Political Leader Jamale Pringle has welcomed the government’s move to establish a committee to review the mental health effects of marijuana on youths, along with 2018 legislation decriminalising the substance.
The first meeting of the six-member commission took place on Tuesday.
The body was established by the Cabinet and given a six-month mandate to produce its report.
Pringle told Observer yesterday that cannabis smoking has been a concern for the public for many years.
“It’s something we look forward to with the experts getting involved, and we really get information… because that’s a situation that we have been challenged with, having adequate information or data that we can make informed decisions as a country.
“I hope that the commission functions independently from the government, and not just becomes a messenger of the government, but we have some statistics that we can look back at to inform the way forward,” Pringle, MP for All Saints East and St Luke, shared.
The commission is expected to review how the police handle cases involving marijuana, the effects of the law which allows persons to use cannabis in their homes, and whether youth misuse the provisions and abuse the substance.
Currently, persons are allowed to possess 15 grams of marijuana, or four plants per household, and are allowed to smoke cannabis in their homes or an approved place of worship.
Persons are not allowed to smoke in public spaces like bars and restaurants.