First Published: 25th of November, 2021. Guyana, South America
Last updated: December 18, 2022 at 21:03 pm
The Guyana Police has been on a rampage over the decades in the history of post-colonial Guyana destroying cannabis farms across the country. While the fight against narcotics and drug abuse is a noble one, the destruction of cannabis farms is largely uncalled for.
Cannabis plants, which have been legalized in many parts of the world, is a controversial subject since the plant is used for numerous industrial and medicinal purposes, and the use of marijuana, which is derived from the cannabis, has been decriminalized in many parts of the world – although it is still classified as a high risk substance for addiction and abuse.
On the 24th of November, 2021, the Guyana Police Force made the following post on their Facebook Page:
During the course of the day, a party of police from the Region Six Division conducted an eradication exercise in the Upper Berbice River (Ebeni area) where four fields were discovered, covering approximately 10 acres of land. It consisted of sixty thousand (60,000) cannabis plants ranging from 6 inches to 10 ft in height and six hundred (600) pounds of dried cannabis. Upon arrival at one of the fields, one male, upon seeing the police, made good his escape into the bushes. A total of five (5) camps were destroyed by fire, along with the said cannabis plants.
Guyana Police Force – 24th of November, 2021
Cannabis is an annual flowering plant of which three main species are recognized: cannabis sativa, cannabis indica, and cannabis ruderalis. Varieties of cannabis cultivated for non-drug use are called hemp. Hemp has been used in the production of a number of industrial and commercial products including shoes, rope, textile, clothing, paper, and biofuel. Further, experts suggest that switching to hemp toilet paper can reduce deforestation rates by about 270,000 trees per day in the United States alone.
The use of marijuana for recreational purposes has been decriminalized in many countries around the world including Canada and 33 States and the District of Columbia in the USA. Further, cannabis has a variety of medical uses. Cannabis oil has been used to treat anxiety, depression, pain, acne, poor blood circulation, and high blood pressure.
Because of the extensive medicinal and industrial uses and potential of cannabis, the Guyana Police Force needs to stop burning down cannabis farms and displaying the result like a trophy. The Guyana Government needs to revise legislation that criminalize the cultivation of cannabis. Projects should be set up to help cannabis farmers to market or convert cannabis for medical and industrial purposes.
What can be discouraged is the vicious commercialization and abuse of narcotics derived from cannabis – such as marijuana, but the cultivation of cannabis itself should not be illegal.
