Top cash crop

It seems that Commissioner Tudravu is finally waking up to what the statistics are telling us about hemp production throughout Fiji. In the Fiji Times of 04/09, Mr. Tudravu confidently stated that hemp is the top cash crop and that marijuana is becoming a cash crop of choice. He went on to say that the reason for this was hemp’s quick harvesting period and high financial value.

In the same newspaper, our Permanent Secretary for Defence, Mason Smith, noted that St Giles Hospital in Suva was full and the prisons were filled to the brim. He reiterated that, along with meth and cocaine, marijuana was also one of the top three drugs being dealt with.

When we discuss such issues, it is always best to maintain clarity. In this case, that would mean refining the numbers and clarifying what percentage of inmates are in prison for drug offenses such as those mentioned by Mr. Smith: unlawful possession, cultivation, importation and transportation, administration transfers, and unlawful supply.

These figures should further be broken down into percentages for each illicit drug and each charge. Only then can we interpret the statistics correctly, make well-informed decisions, and - most importantly - find solutions that work. I am certain the prisons are not being filled by drug cases alone!

And while meth and cocaine are undoubtedly damaging to human life, I wish to focus once again on marijuana in this, my second letter on cannabis. I want to highlight that if we interpret the figures and outcomes correctly, we would realize that:

* Fiji has long been a recreational cannabis-smoking nation, dating back some two hundred years ago when the Indian community introduced it.

* If we are not exporting cannabis, it is obvious that we are consuming our own product locally.

* Farmers who cultivate cannabis are unlikely to stop because of the economic benefits it brings them.

* Marijuana is a force to be reckoned with in comparison to other, less profitable commodities.

At present, the capacity of our prisons is under maximum pressure due to farming and possession convictions. Interestingly, there is no mention of any convictions for the sale of cannabis, even though we know it is being sold in tonnes.

Also note that no one has died from smoking cannabis, nor has there been any major recorded statistical evidence of marijuana causing consistent mental disorders in Fiji over the past 200 years. So what, then, is the real cause of St Giles being full?

As its slang name suggests, cannabis has indeed become more of a parasitic “weed.” This is due to the inability to control the spread of its tiny seeds, which are also dispersed by birds. The Police may then wish to reconsider blowing up their budget on their manual labour solution of uprooting to resolve this weed issue.

On a brighter side, if we could regulate who is allowed to farm cannabis, how much can be farmed, who is permitted to consume it, and in what quantities, we could bring this 200-year-old mood-mellowing plant - one with proven medicinal uses - under control, just as we have done with alcohol and cigarettes.

Implementing a policy would not only control production and consumption, but would also safeguard our children from early exposure and harmful use, which is currently widespread.

And if we are already complaining about the capacity of our adult prisons, what then of our juvenile facilities? This issue has not yet been highlighted. So, Commissioner Tudravu and Permanent Secretary Smith - you have read the statistics and discussed your findings. Based on those numbers, and looking ahead, what do you recommend in terms of policymaking and finding effective solutions to this problem?

Written by Noleen Billings