Minister of New Growth Industries says fear marijuana fear mongering must end so public can get real facts

The discussion on cannabis is anything, but far from over. This is because the issue remains Live as the churches are against its legalization and the government is saying that it could boost the economy. Minister of New Growth Industries, Kareem Musa, he believes that the fear mongering must end so that the public can realize the real facts of the matter.

Kareem Musa, Minister of New Growth Industries: “I think it’s important for us to put additional faces to the science behind this. And I heard the other day right here on Love FM News Dr. Fernando Cuellar who is a well respected renowned doctor in Belize come out and say you know what cannabis is not as bad as alcohol. One, you don’t find that there are cannabis related traffic accidents that’s alcohol again, cannabis is something that actually makes you not get riled up or hyped up the way alcohol does which then leads to bar fights. You never hear in a newscast after a night of smoking so and so stabbed so and so. You don’t hear that you hear after a night of drinking at a bar so and so was stabbed because that’s again another difference between alcohol and cannabis. And so the more faces that you put to the movement which I think will come once there is a push towards a referendum there is a whole slew of people that I am telling you that  want to form a committee that want to put their faces on this, that want to go out and educate people because it has been a 100 year propaganda against cannabis and I think once you start looking at the science and do the comparisons and you see the benefits of a regulated industry I think you would then go to the poll and make a very reasonable rational decision once it is like I said there is that full push for an education campaign.”

Minister Musa says that while the debate persists in the public domain, the next official step would have to be the referendum.

Kareem Musa, Minister of New Growth Industries:  “To me the next step has to be the referendum and I cannot give you a definitive timeline for that. I am hoping like I said and I will continue to lobby for it to be this year that we have the referendum but I cannot guarantee. Obviously it will depend on the resources, a referendum is a very costly venture but there are more than one issues that can go on the ballot I think that offers greater support for a referendum to take place. For example the monarchy if we want to become a Republic perhaps that’s something that can go on a referendum ballot. Different things and different issues so I think once we have more issues then the government might be more inclined to have a referendum. We’ve done our polls on it, we’ve done our polls and while it is close there is still a margin. It was 48% yes, 44% no and the rest were undecided. And so you might say you feel that way because of the very conservative society that we have but at the end of the day I’m convinced that once we have everybody on board like I said, doctors who can attest to the science behind it that would certainly enhance the case for the yes vote.”