For NazranRoth by ANDRE DE CAIRES. CHAIRMAN OF THE CANNABIS MOVEMENT OF SAINT LUCIA
LIKE EVERY LEADING GLOBAL ECONOMY, DIVERSITY IS A NATURAL EVOLUTION. This is only compounded when we consider that St Lucia is now in deep need to revitalize its economy in both a meaningful and community impactful way. For far too long, many Governments have shyed away from utilizing the asset of legalizing Marijuana and industrial hemp growing. However increasingly shrewd economies around the world, including the USA and Canada, have embraced change and this change has brought deep advantages in regards to gainful employment and economic empowerment. A growing number of leading minds believe that this crop can have tremendous impact upon our economy and its derivative can have long term positive impact on both our social development and a stable economic rise. From the 70s through to the 90s, the island’s main GDP earner was other agricultural produce, namely bananas and for over 3 decades our economy thrived with agricultural exports. We took advantage of our top grade quality soil and natural environment, but with the advent of the WTO and the new trade regime, we as the Caribbean lost our preferential trading status enjoyed under the Lome convention and that signalled the end of the Caribbean banana industry. An industry that played a pivotal part in the country’s economy as a major employment provider and thus a devastating blow to many of our labor force. In 1998 however, the Industrial Hemp initiative submitted a proposal requesting permission to the then Government to conduct research trials on Hemp in order to develop a cultivar or cultivars that could be introduced into the country’s agricultural diversification program, therefore maximizing on our high-skilled farming labor force. The intention is to use raw material traditionally exported with home cultivated value added therefore starting up a high-end body care industry. Agriculturally we have coconut oil, the cocoa and other raw ingredients necessary to create the products. With the addition of hemp oil, the value of the end product increases dramatically. This would help reestablish both the coconut and cocoa industries that have been in decline for years and give the country’s vast amount of farmers the ability to earn a meaningful salary from these crops once more. Apart from the multitude of high quality hemp products that can be produced, the marijuana produced organically can provide for the already lucrative local recreational market. The estimation of which is earmarked to be EC $50,000,000.00 per year. With strict regulation we also ensure that we provide less opportunities for criminals and the international illegal drug trade that has brought sorrow to many communities. We provide gainful legal opportunities for communities to produce legal and medically approved products. There is also the opportunity to cater for the tourism market with cruise ships visiting the island daily and the ability to provide for the vibrant hotel industry with its hundreds of thousands stay-over visitors per year. A similar proposition that Amsterdam has successfully implemented. I believe that St Lucia should be moving swiftly into the present and with forward thinking, we can capitalize on our traditional farming communities and traditions in order to unleash a magnitude of national economic empowerment and meaningful employment by legalizing industrial production of Hemp and Marijuana. The current administration has been far too slow in producing vibrant economic change and by doing so, we have in essence created a restrictive and deteriorating future for our nations young labour force
“For far too long, many Governments have shyed away from utilizing
the asset of legalizing Marijuana and industrial hemp growing”
