Bajan newspapers lambaste Carlyle Dougan

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Haydn Huggines, The Vincentian - 12 May, 05

Two Barbadian newspapers have lambasted Magistrate Carlyle Dougan's call for decriminalisation of marijuana in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The Nation and the Barbados Advocate, the island's daily newspapers attacked the former Attorney-General's comments in their editorials, noting that his public mouthings could have serious repercussions for not only St. Vincent, but its CARICOM neighbours as well.

"As a former attorney general, he must also know that as we begin to think in terms of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), if it is realized that St. Vincent is deliberately following a trade policy that creates problems for any of its CARICOM partners, there could be serious repercussions", the Nation's Saturday Sun wrote.

The editorial also spoke of his statement about not jailing anyone for smoking a marijuana spliff and queried whether he was not making the job of the police much more difficult.

"It becomes more awkward as Dougan went on to suggest what his government's policy should be in dealing with marijuana, not only in a context of decriminalizing its use, but in negotiating its export to the Netherlands.

"Perhaps what he did not know was that The Netherlands is one of the countries now being urged to re-think its decision to allow citizens to have limited use of marijuana," the editorial added.

The Barbados Advocate in referring to Dougan's comments as a shock and magisterial outrage wrote....."it is his kind of pleadings that encourages criminal elements to continue doing precisely what law enforcement officers are paid to combat."

The newspaper in condemning his "utterances" said the magistrate should now expect to be watched closely in his home country and by individuals and agencies within and outside CARICOM.

The Barbados Advocate suggested, "Mr. Dougan's mouthings could make life difficult for passengers from St. Vincent as the ganja trade has done for Jamaicans arriving at various destinations".