A FEW events the past several weeks paint an illuminating, if nuanced picture of the current state of the marijuana legalisation debate both locally and internationally. They serve, I think, to reinforce my previous articles emphasis on finding the right fit for Guyana. It is so vital that we work toward the right solutions for our country, rather than merely accepting international advice or bowing to local pressures.

I’ll start with the positive news first, if you’re in the pro-legalisation camp, that is. Canada followed its young, progressive President, legalising the recreational use of marijuana, spurring applause worldwide. This was followed by a CARICOM commission recommendation that marijuana be decriminalised. Another victory for the legalisation camp, this added credence to the local calls for the decriminalisation of small amounts of weed, presumably for recreational use.

Interestingly, however, Guyana’s own President was less enthusiastic, expressing some degree of support for decriminalisation, or at least doing away with custodial sentences, while drawing a clear, key difference between most Caribbean countries and Guyana. Unlike the small islands that make up the majority of CARICOM, Guyana is a vast country, with limitless potential for illegal marijuana farming to take place. In his mind this presents a serious barrier to controlling any weed industry.

Further complicating this narrative is the untimely, rumoured return of a certain infamous “drug lord,” tied to Guyana’s sad spate of extra-judicial killings. I say this not to imply that he’ll be back to his old tricks, but rather as a reminder that, in short, Guyana isn’t Canada. Organised crime was once a gargantuan problem closely linked to the illicit drug industry, and last time I checked there weren’t extra-judicial killings happening in notoriously tame Canada. Caution, lest legalisation bolster local “drug lords,” is therefore paramount.

Perhaps it’s a confirmation bias, but the moment I heard the President respond to CARICOM recommendations with cautionary words about controlling any local industry I immediately thought about weed zones. This really reinforces the need for a compromise position which takes into consideration senior officials’ genuine concerns. Weed Zones (in which it is legal to buy, sell, carry and consume) provide an easy answer to what the President is rightly bringing up.

If we specify where weed can be purchased, as in a zone, we can easily monitor where weed is farmed, how it’s transported and how it’s sold. Just as alcohol should bear the GRA marker on the lid to certify tax has been paid, weed containers can be weighed and similarly certified and marked. No uncertified weed should of course be found in weed zones and this is easy to control because zones are small, only 4 square blocks or so. This brings a whole new twist to the “farm to table” concept.

I want to close by answering the dirty secret of decriminalisation with the weed zone concept. It’s one thing to decriminalise the possession of small amounts of marijuana, by itself a problematic solution to be sure, but this begs the question where all this weed is even coming from. Someone, somewhere, must be selling and not only is the state not getting tax revenue from those sales, we don’t know to whom they are willing to sell.

A friend of mine brought up the simple but insightful point that decriminalisation of small amounts doesn’t answer dangerous underage use. Weed Zones, because sales therein can be readily regulated and monitored, are an obvious solution.

My core belief is that young people need to take charge of the process and back responsible solutions to the marijuana question. Our President will simply not be around when it is our turn to run the government, so we need to think long term, and ask ourselves what kind of country we really want to live in. Are we going to be like Trudeau’s Canada? Or maybe Lee Kwan Yew’s Singapore?

My thoughts are ever that we’ll be somewhere in the middle, because that’s closer to the truth. Maybe that will mean Weed Zones, maybe not. In the end, it’s up to us to decide.