Priest worried about possible impact of marijuana industry on young people

Anglican cleric and Independent Senator Reverend Canon Dr John Rogers has expressed concern about the burgeoning medicinal cannabis industry’s potential impact on young people.

In his sermon on Sunday as a rector of St George Parish Church, he sparked a broader debate about legality versus societal well-being amid the ongoing examination of the legalisation of marijuana and medicinal cannabis in Barbados.

In his homily, Reverend Rogers stated there was a distinction between what is lawful and what is beneficial, a differentiation that he believes is crucial in the context of marijuana legalisation and medicinal cannabis use.

“Many things are lawful, but not all things are beneficial and that is something that we have to remember,” he declared. “Do you remember when we were growing up there was old people’s conversation or young people’s conversation and when adults were in the house talking, the children would go outside and play . . . [because] this ain’t for you. But now, we want to do everything in front of children. It’s not that what you’re talking about is wrong but it’s just not for them.  We have to be very careful about that in this society.

“It’s one of the things that I cautioned us about at the national level. When we were talking about going into this big cannabis industry and all kinds of things, and medicinal cannabis, I warned us. You do not want a proliferation of marijuana in your country.  But all of a sudden the very things that Cassius Clay [sang] – ‘come back home and come off the drugs’ and everything that we were crying for in the 80s, all of a sudden is the best thing since sliced bread.”

He pointed to recent media reports that suggested challenges in getting the medicinal cannabis industry off the ground. Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Barbados Medicinal Cannabis Licensing Authority Shakira Roberts-Odle had noted that despite rapidly growing interest in the sector, banking obstacles were atop several obstacles to investment.

Reverend Rogers pointed out there were potential risks associated with a widespread marijuana industry, particularly referring to the experience of the United States.

He told the congregation: “It is illegal in the US. It is illegal at the federal level . . . . Anything with a THC level of 0.3 per cent is illegal. States have their own laws and they can legalise stuff. California legalised marijuana, but they have one of the biggest problems with marijuana right now. Do you know why? In California where marijuana is grown, they grew in an area called the Emerald Triangle which is about 62 times the size of Barbados. Where are you going planting in Barbados to start the industry?

“When California legalised marijuana, people voted ‘yes’…. Yes, we legalise it, but then there was another question on the ballot. Do you want a distribution outlet near you? No… because they know the dangers of it. And so, yes, California has legalised marijuana but they can’t trade across the border. They cannot trade with another state because that will break federal law.”

From the pulpit, the priest and senator issued a strong warning to the youth against drug use, acknowledging the medicinal benefits of certain cannabis strains but cautioning against those with high levels of THC, the main mind-altering ingredient in cannabis. He proposed an alternative approach, suggesting the legalisation of hemp, which does not induce a high and still possesses beneficial properties

“Yes, there are some good aspects to the substance,” he said. “There are cannabinoids and so on and that can help with therapy but that can also be found in the strain that doesn’t get people high . . .  but we don’t want to legalise that, we want to go for the high-end stuff…. All we had to do was legalise hemp. Hemp does not get you high and it still has the same [properties] as marijuana. 

He further called for a balanced approach that respects the wisdom of past generations in safeguarding the youth.  

“There are a lot of adults out there lately that seem to have lost their minds,” the priest declared. “We have forgotten the trouble that we had in the 80s or 90s…. I remember teaching in school and little boys would come to school and just put their heads on the desk – gone, can’t function – and all of a sudden this is good.” (RG)