Deputy PM: “We Will Not be Supporting Ganja as a Way of Life in the Police Force”

By Val Matthias. Updated 8:02 a.m., Friday, April 3, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4). 

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Hon. Major St. Clair Leacock, on April 1, underscored his government’s uncompromising stance against marijuana use within the nation’s security forces, as St. Vincent and the Grenadines formally assumed the chairmanship of the Regional Security System (RSS).

At a press conference held this morning at the Ministry of National Security, Leacock warned that the accessibility of medicinal marijuana poses risks for schools and law enforcement alike. He cautioned that legal provisions could allow students to “fly under the radar” and complicate prosecutions, while also creating openings for drugs to infiltrate police and military ranks.  

“We will not be supporting ganja as a way of life in the police force,” Leacock declared. “Whether by legislation or internal force orders, marijuana presents an internal threat to good order and efficacy in our local forces.”  

The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that regional attorneys general and legal advisors must work more closely with security chiefs to address this challenge but insisted SVG’s position is firm: “No ganja in regional and local force.”  

Medicinal marijuana is legal in St. Vincent and the Grenadines under the Medicinal Cannabis Industry Act 2018, which established the Medicinal Cannabis Authority to regulate cultivation, production, and patient access. Recreational use remains illegal, though possession of small amounts has been decriminalized.

Major Leacock also highlighted SVG’s new leadership role in the RSS, pledging stronger cooperation across the Caribbean to combat gangs, guns, and drugs. He said the chairmanship provides an opportunity to reinforce discipline and integrity within security institutions while advancing regional strategies against organized crime.  

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