ST GEORGE’S, Grenada — Grenada will not bow to pressure to legalise marijuana, said Prime Minister Tillman Thomas, who made the declaration on Friday in an address to the 9th Annual General Meeting of the Grenada Drug Information Network and National Observatory on Drugs (GRENDIN/NOD).
Thomas noted that the recent decision by some states in the United States to decriminalize marijuana has again brought more public focus on the issue.
He said the government rejected calls to decriminalize marijuana ten years ago and will stick to its position, given the potential impact on “national well-being and law and order.”
“Today, amid renewed attempts at the regional and international levels, I wish to place on record that my government will not yield to such pressures or persuasions. We will not decriminalize or legalize marijuana,” the prime minister said, while reaffirming the government’s commitment to the national anti-drug campaign.
Thomas pledged to continue working with the regional and international community to stem the flow of drugs through the region destined to the North American market.
He commended the establishment of GRENDIN, now renamed the Grenada Drug Epidemiology Network (GRENDEN), which became the first mechanism in the region for collecting and collating drug-related statistics in an organized, timely and reliable manner.
“This tool is an invaluable part of our fight to reduce and ultimately eradicate the use and abuse of illegal drugs in Grenada and our region. It’s an accomplishment, not just for GRENDIN, but for the people of Grenada,” the prime minister said.
The Network is now being used by the Organization of American States/Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (OAS/CICAD) as a model for the region.
