Lennox Linton Dominica’s opposition leader has called for full legalization for personal, sacramental, medicinal, and industrial use of Cannabis in Dominica.
He made his remarks on July 29, 2020, as he responded to the 2020/21 budget presented the day before by Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit.
According to Linton, in this basket of high performers in the global trade of agricultural products, Cannabis, because of its versatility in providing medicinal, food, clothing, and shelter solutions offers the greatest growth prospects for our Nature Island economy.
“There is, therefore, an urgent need for Dominica to humanize, legalize, and industrialize cannabis in the interest of national health, wellness, and resilient economic development. Full legalization for personal, sacramental, medicinal, and industrial use of Cannabis,” he said.
He told Parliament that our holistic approach to building a viable cannabis industry will protect traditional stakeholders and ensure no interest group is left behind in sharing the health, wellness, and economic development benefits.
“A share of the global legal cannabis market, estimated at $15 billion US, can deliver the lift we desperately need for the rural economy and strong livelihood restoration. As such, our Agenda for Change will have the legalization of cannabis for personal, sacramental, medicinal, and industrial use, with strict regulations to protect our children as a pillar to revive the vital agricultural sector in Dominica and as a fundamental part of the overall strategy for economic resilience,” the opposition leader remarked.
Linton lashed out at the Government saying they have failed to provide the needed measures and stimulus needed to keep the economy growing while the domestic banking sector has played its part with rescheduling loans and cautiously lending it “these uncertain times.”
The private sector he said now needs “direct meaningful injection of low-interest stimulus loans in a quantum that provides the support that the economy needs.”
“Introducing stimulus on a prescriptive dose basis only prolongs the ailment of a sick and dying economy. What we need is to resuscitate this economy by returning to the plan outlined by the opposition. This budget is a collection of papers not worth the ink on it. We put forward a stimulus plan that would keep the engine of the economy working until the end of 2020.”
He continued, “It required investment from funds which this government said it had and controls but alas that was ridiculed because those funds are for the private personal economy run by the labor party. The real economy they have responsibility for must remain mendicant while their economy must proceed unhindered with the people’s money. I have news for them today, this is one land and one people, and no government can support only its supporters. We either get serious or we carry on to our collective peril.”