Chevannes KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC:
DEAN OF the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies, Professor Barry Chevannes, has expressed outrage at the recent case of a 92-year-old man, who was arrested and taken to court for smoking ganja.
Professor Chevannes, who chaired the National Commission on Ganja, describes the arrest of 92-year-old Egbert Williams on August 30 as a ridiculous attempt to suppress the folk culture of the Jamaican people.
"It therefore is useless and pointless, unless it is for share malice and victimisation to arrest and charge a 92-year-old man for such a simple offence. There is nothing morally wrong with this man smoking a spliff; the only thing wrong is that it is still on the law books," said Chevannes.
Williams was arrested during a police raid of his house in Golden Spring, St. Andrew. When he initially appeared in court, he pleaded not guilty, asserting that he did not smoke. He was scheduled to return to court on Monday to answer the marijuana-possession charge.
However, the case took a tragic turn earlier this month when the senior citizen died after suffering a stroke. Public Defender, Howard Hamilton, who had taken up the case on behalf of Williams, said he would be appearing in court to officially inform the court of his client's death.
The Ganja Commission, which handed in its report to Prime Minister P.J Patterson in August 2001, has recommended, among other things, that the possession of small quantities of marijuana for personal use be decriminalised.
