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Law and Ganja


The world along with Mauritius is sure to be in a deep financial dilemma as a result to the lockdown imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This lockdown has destroyed most businesses however there are some businesses which strived in this atmosphere. In many countries and especially in many states of the United States of America cannabis businesses have been considered to be an essential business and was allowed to operate. There have been very long queues before the lockdown was enforced  in front of the cannabis stores as those consumers believed that cannabis helped them to cope with pressure.

What we should understand is why was this plant is banned and treated like a dangerous drug in Mauritius. It is mainly due to political reasons rather than health issues. The banning of this god-gifted plant is also due to racist reasons but the society is teaching us that it is banned because it is bad for health.

In Mauritius, the decision to ban the cannabis is that of the British from 1840. We all are well aware that they were the least concerned about the health of the general Mauritian population as they only wanted to use our resources. The main reason which pushed the British to ban the use of cannabis is that the people were more likely to fight for their freedom and liberties as stated in the ordinance which banned the use of cannabis in Mauritius.

Unfortunately, the Mauritian legislative and executive branch of our country continued this tradition of the colonials. There is the need for Mauritians to take this matter in their hands as it is unacceptable to think that because of a joint the future of a child is destroyed.

We are still justifying the prohibition of this plant in Mauritius when there are very little scientific proof (even none) that it is more dangerous than cigarettes or alcohol.
Therefore, if there are real worries for the People of the land, it means that cigarettes and alcohol should be banned. There is a point which I can qualify as ‘crazy’, smoking cigarettes for adults is fully legal however the Government of Mauritius spent Rs. 10, 000, 000 in tobacco control as reported to the World Health Organisation in 2016 but there has been no smoking cessation support in hospitals or primary health care facilities as of 2018.

When cigarettes have so many negative effects on our health but it is still legal while cannabis is proved to be less harmful but is still illegal. We have all heard about medical use of cannabis but have you ever heard about the medical use of cigarettes, that’s right it’s crazy. The justifications on the ground that cannabis is harmful to our health by the authorities are no longer valid but of course the abuse of cannabis will be harmful to human beings. If it was really harmful as it is advertised then why so many countries have legalised or decriminalised cannabis, I am sure they do care about their people as many are democratic states.

The public opinion is slowly shifting in Mauritius for the legalisation of cannabis and I am sure that with this new generation there is the urge to legalise this plant.
People have lost their lives in this fight on our island because at that time it was only the fight of a minority in Mauritius and it was also not well perceived by the society but now in 2020 many of the People of this Land are for this cause. However, we should never forget that, Kaya fought till his death for this cause.

This is the best time ever to legalise this plant as this will also be beneficial to the economy of Mauritius. The economy will be boosted and we will also attract more youngsters as tourist on our island, just imagine the fusion of the paradise island with the paradise weed. 

There can also be the exportation of our weed which will also unique due to our climate, the markets are new where competition is rather weak which is the ideal moment to take this step. At the same time the economy of this Land will be safe and the People will at last be given this right snatched by the British. 

Of course, there will be abuse of this drug as this world is not perfect and we should be prepared for this in the same way the Government fines and scans  for drunk driving. However, there are very little damage to the society caused by cannabis in the countries where it has been legalised or decriminalised as compared to alcohol.

As for the enforcement of the law in relation to the prohibition of cannabis in Mauritius which is that the cultivation, sale, and possession of cannabis for recreational purposes are illegal in Mauritius as well as for medical use. The possession of cannabis and all cannabis related activities are highly illegal in Mauritius and will be punished. But, many believe that this law is not really efficient and cannot be really enforced by the concerned authorities as this ‘drug’ (cannabis leaves) is used by thousands of Mauritians. When we have a law but the law cannot be efficiently enforced, so what is the real use of the law.

It also shows that the public opinion is against this law if there is such a big breach by the population (if anyone disagrees with this point, please conduct a survey). It is also a way to fight the hard drugs which is destroying our youth because I have never heard a case of cannabis overdose however cases of synthetic drug overdose are well known in Mauritius. 

The Mauritian society has evolved a lot during this 180 years of prohibition and lives have also been lost in order to get us this freedom back. This is the best time to legalise cannabis as it will also help us in this worldwide economical dilemma. On the other hand, I am confident that in the next 15 to 20 years this creation of God would become legal.

Yovesh Gunnoo

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