The views expressed herein are solely those of the writer.
By Junior “spirit” Cottle.
It has been five months since the United States Government, led by Donald Trump, imposed a military blockade against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, under the guise of fighting drugs. For the people of Venezuela, it has been a very painful experience. They have lost their President, suffered many casualties, as well as serious socio-economic setbacks. But apart from affecting the people of Venezuela, it has also affected other peoples and countries of our region, including St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), which will be the focus of attention in this article. Since then, several of the regions’ fishing boats have been blown-up, and their occupants killed, on the pretext that they were “Narco-terrorists.” No evidence, no trial, just summary executions.
As a traditional cultivator of Cannabis myself, which, incidentally, fits into Trump’s categorization of drugs and drug traffickers, and therefore, exposes our own traditional cultivators (TCs) to similar riskful fate, as President of the Cannabis Revival Committee (CRC), a traditional cultivators’ organization, we strongly condemn the action of the US military.
Who knows, anyone of us may be next. As TCs, we are all potential candidates.
With the military blockade, SVG, coupled with the ongoing and indiscriminate blowing-up of our fishers, we are now witnessing a transformation of our region from a zone of peace to zone of war, a situation which could only make life more miserable for us as a people, and, in the case of SVG, especially our traditional cultivators, particularly hurting. I must say, the potential of a miserable life for us, as traditional cultivators, has never been so bleak.
This is not an endorsement of the illegal nature of our activities as traditional cultivators. But facts are facts. Cannabis, legal or illegal, is here to stay. It contributes significantly to our own socio-economic and cultural development. As it stands, we can best manage it by doing our
possible best to get all the harm out of it, or, at least, to significantly reduce such harm.
One only must look at the region’s main suppliers to appreciate the situation. For example, Jamaica, Colombia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines are the three principal suppliers of Cannabis to the region, they also being the region’s principal producers. As expected, the military blockade and the blowing-up of fishers have had a significant impact on trade from Colombia, while hurricane Melissa, having seriously damaged the cannabis industry in some parts of Jamaica, has caused a big setback to that country’s supply. Two out of three leaves one, SVG. While SVG stands as the largest supplier of Cannabis to the region, in terms of individual countries and their geographical location, and is, arguably, one of the largest producers globally, bearing in mind, its size and population, its capacity to supply the region’s demand is limited. But the reality is, it is the best possible option for our surrounding drug traffickers, a situation which faces some serious challenges when it comes to managing it.
Take for example, the expected greater influx of drug traffickers from the region and beyond, the potential increase in the importation of guns and ammunition, as well as the potential accompanying violence , as a result. Not to mention, the forging of new partnership between our very local traffickers and their regional and international counterparts, who, in some cases, may very well be more experienced, more hardened and merciless. God forbid.
And one does not have to be a rocket scientist to realize the potential consequence of all this, including the potential of becoming a “Narco-State”. We certainly cannot afford such a situation. In discussing this matter with a friend, he said to me, “Spirit, you are looking too much on the dark side”. The thing is, in times like these, we must prepare for the worst. We will need effective management skills to prevent this.
Are our leaders so prepared?
Lest we forget, we have a country to build, and an industry, (Cannabis), protected by law, to defend, and we must do so in the best interest of our country and our people.
END
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