Health Minister Ingrid Buffonge has pledged her commitment to ensuring that Rastafarians in Montserrat can use cannabis without fear of persecution, imprisonment or discrimination.
“From my point of view, that is something that I think we should be doing as a government,” she said during a United Alliance town hall meeting held in Salem on 10 January.
The minister’s remarks came in response to a question from a community member about the government’s current policy on cannabis hemp, a variety of the plant cultivated for non-psychoactive purposes.
Buffonge said that the legalisation of hemp is not a contentious issue, the greater concern lies in the illegality of cannabis itself.
Rastafarians in the community use cannabis as part of their religious practice and should be allowed to do so legally, Buffonge told attendees.
“So it is something that me, personally, I’m committed to making sure that there’s a freedom on cannabis use at the different levels,” she said.
“Obviously it’s going to happen over time, but I think the priority for me is to ensure that Rastafarians in the community can use the product in their practices without persecution, imprisonment and discrimination.”
She assured attendees that addressing this issue is a personal priority and shared that she has promised several people it will be dealt with by the government in 2025.
Medicinal and recreational
The health minister highlighted Jamaica’s advancements in cannabis research, noting the country has an “entire unit” dedicated to studying the plant and its healthcare benefits.
“I know that they’re much more advanced than we are in terms of progress, in terms of trying to get medicinal cannabis legalised,” she said.
She also touched on the potential benefits of legalising cannabis for recreational use, citing examples of economic success on other islands.
“Somebody sent me something a few days ago about the potential billions that, I think it was Saint Vincent is expected to receive due to the fact that they had opened up and had legalised cannabis,” she said.
“So obviously, there are huge economic benefits.”
The minister acknowledged that pushbacks against cannabis legalisation often stem from the UK government, which maintains an anti-legalisation stance.
Discussions continue
Deputy Premier Veronica Dorsette-Hector also weighed in on the issue, saying that everything the town hall heard about the health and the economical benefits of cannabis is correct.
She said a discussion on use of cannabis under doctor supervision for medical purposes had previously come before the Montserrat Legislative Assembly.
The Rastafarian community gave an “excellent presentation”, Dorsette-Hector added, saying she supported it and pledges to continue discussions.
She said legislation in the other overseas territories in the Caribbean allows for the decriminalisation of cannabis.
In December, 2024, the personal use and possession of a small amount of cannabis was decriminalised for adults in Anguilla.
Dorsette-Hector stressed that she will not support anything that brings harm to Montserrat’s young people.
However, “the constitution makes provision for freedom of religion, and we also will need to explore that right which the Rasterfarians have as well.”
Watch the town hall meeting in full below:
