Interim President of the Herbal Cooperative, Andre de Caires, is calling on the authorities to honour longstanding commitments to fully legalise cannabis, following what he describes as a sharp increase in law enforcement action against local cultivators.
De Caires has criticised recent cannabis eradication exercises carried out by the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force, arguing that the operations unfairly target farmers and undermine years of policy discussions around reform of the sector.
“It is very evident that the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force has drastically increased cannabis eradication exercises, terrorising farmers who have committed absolutely no crime against anyone,” he said. “Farming is a victimless, non-violent action that is absolutely no threat to society.”
He questioned the timing of the intensified enforcement, particularly in light of political commitments made over several years.
“It baffles me as well as others, according to the comments accompanying the news report, as to why the police are taking these draconian steps at this particular time,” de Caires stated.
He noted that “for the past five years, both political parties have been working on legislation to fully legalise the herb. It was a campaign promise by both parties.”
According to de Caires, significant work has already been completed on the legislative framework.
“Over the past four years, Honourable Emma Hippolyte has worked very hard to bring the required legislation to completion. The final draft was completed at the end of August last year. As to why it was not tabled in Cabinet and Parliament is a mystery to us all,” he said.
The Herbal Cooperative leader also suggested that senior officials were fully aware of the legalisation process and questioned who authorised the recent police actions.
“I am positive that the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force is aware of all that has transpired regarding the legalisation process,” he explained, adding that the Commissioner of Police had participated in early discussions years ago. “So who is exactly giving the directive to the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force to commit mass destruction of farms? Mr Prime Minister, is it you? Mr Commissioner of Police, Mr Garde, is it you?”
De Caires further criticised what he described as a misplaced focus by law enforcement.
“There are so many other more serious and violent crimes being committed in the country. The Royal Saint Lucia Police Force chooses to target farmers instead of real criminals. Why?” he asked.
He also expressed concern about the impact on specific communities, stating that “the police are targeting a Rastafari of all people and setting bail at over $30,000 for some of the crimes. These actions are not helping the crime situation. In fact, it is making it worse.”
Highlighting regional developments, de Caires pointed out that several CARICOM countries have already moved ahead with cannabis reform. “Many of our CARICOM members have leapfrogged us and have fully legalised and have benefited from the move,” he said. “Can you imagine that the most conservative island of Barbados has legalised before us?”
He also directed questions to the Minister responsible for commerce regarding the future of the industry.
“Honourable Ernest Hilaire is now in charge of commerce and as a result in charge of ushering in the new cannabis industry. So my question to Mr Hilaire is when do you intend to pass the legislation?” de Caires asked.
Despite these appeals, he acknowledged growing frustration within the sector. “The damage has already been done. The cannabis community has lost all confidence in the process, in the government, in the regulatory substance authority and in me personally, basically being the mouthpiece for the movement,” he said.