Antigua and Barbuda set to decriminalise cannabis, as PM says it is "part of the culture of the country"

Mathieu Nivelles

News

Antigua and Barbuda set to decriminalise cannabis, as PM says it is "part of the culture of the country"

16 February 2018
Talking Drugs

Legislators in Antigua and Barbuda’s lower house have voted to decriminalise cannabis possession, allow Rastafarians to use cannabis ritually, and expunge prior possession convictions.

On February 6, legislators in Caribbean nation's House of Representatives voted to approve the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill. The bill, which has support from Prime Minister Gaston Browne, seeks to decriminalise the possession of less than 10 grams of cannabis for all adults, and allow Rastafarian people to legally use cannabis during religious rituals and ceremonies. It also aims to offset harms that criminalisation has caused by expunging prior convictions for minor cannabis offences.

Cannabis has been illegal in the multi-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda since Governor Wilfred Jacobs signed the Misuse of Drugs Act 1973 into law, while the country was ruled by the British Empire.

Speaking at the parliamentary debate on cannabis, Prime Minister Browne recalled personally witnessing police using excessive force against Rastafarian people for alleged cannabis offences prior to the country gaining independence from British rulers.

Speaking at the parliamentary debate on cannabis, Prime Minister Browne recalled personally witnessing police using excessive force against Rastafarian people for alleged cannabis offences prior to the country gaining independence from British rulers.