We can’t wait that long!

EDITOR: The Cannabis Revival Committee (CRC) is an organization of Traditional Cultivators of Marijuana in St Vincent amd the Grenadines, with a membership comprising of Unity Labour Party (ULP) and New Democratic Party (NDP) supporters, as well as of people with different political opinions. We are not associated with any particular political party.

As such, we wish to make the following statement in response to the remarks made by Mr. Patel Mathews, the NDP’s representative for North Leeward, on his party’s intention to “reorganize and reshape the legislation on Medical Cannabis, which was passed in the House of Assembly on December 18, nearly two years ago.

At present, we are planting marijuana under the amnesty law, without fear of it being eradicated by the police, on farms which we have already spent thousands of dollars of our own money on. Some of us have borrowed these monies with a promise to repay.

We are already in discussion with both local and foreign licensed investors who have expressed interest in purchasing our product. This to us is a major benefit and a victory for all traditional cultivators.

To reorganize and reshape the legislation, as the NDP proposes, means waiting another year or two before we can begin legally selling. In the meantime, our families are hungry.

We can’t wait that long, which to us means selling it however we can to make ends meet, while disregarding the law which both the NDP and ULP voted for in our parliament.

We are fed up with such risks.

The risk of losing our sons on the high seas and through incarceration by trafficking ganja is too painful
for us.

Finally, while we do believe that Patel means well, and that the NDP, given the opportunity to govern,
will establish a medical cannabis industry, as promised, but the reality is, as traditional growers, we can’t wait two more years, not even six months.

Who feels it, knows it.

Junior Spirit Cottle
President of CRC