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Should SL legalise exports of Marijuana?
In recent times, a proposal to cultivate and export cannabis appears to be gaining traction among certain government and business circles. This has led to increasing pressure from farmers in cannabis cultivation areas to legalise the crop. The President recently responded by stating that a firm policy decision was yet to be taken.
It’s a multi-faceted issue that deserves public discussion. It’s not just about growing and exporting marijuana. What is the situation of this controversial plant in the rest of the world? Medicinal use? Recreational use? Is it addictive? What is its impact on users and society?
The fact that cannabis causes some physical and psychological effects is not disputed. However, what is unclear is how harmful cannabis usage is, and opinions have varied down through the ages. What is also undisputable is that people are vulnerable to drugs and that proper care must be taken in legalising any narcotic substance. The theory of unbalanced cognitive and physical growth is a well-known explanation for the use of marijuana among people. The delayed cognitive development of young people limits their ability to process social, emotional, and motivational experiences against threats such as marijuana in a cognitive manner. A great deal of legal, social, and public health is needed to recognise the effects of drug policies on marijuana use in this population.
Narcotics in Sri Lanka
Let’s face the facts. Cannabis is the least of our country’s drug problems. Sri Lanka is a global hub for the narcotics trade. Heroin, cocaine, methamphetamines, and ice are imported by the container and transshipped to Europe. All these are also available quite freely in any neighbourhood in the country, from Colombo 7 to Mullaitivu – just ask any three-wheeler driver. Our domestic brew kasippu can be sourced just as easily.
Local law enforcement authorities turn a blind eye and a couple of dozen sleuths of the Anti-Narcotics Bureau are currently facing drug peddling charges. Quite frankly, the Police appear to believe that far more harm is done by drunk drivers. So what is the position of cannabis?
Sri Lanka is in fact a small-time exporter of cannabis, and has been for decades, with crops grown mainly in the Monaragala area being transported to Colombo and smuggled out in shipping containers to Europe.
Key issues
Should cannabis be legally grown in Sri Lanka and exported?
If cannabis is to be legally grown and exported, should its use be legal within Sri Lanka?
If it is legalised, can it be restricted to medical use in an effective manner?
Who will regulate the growing, sales, and exports of cannabis?
If growing is legalised, should there be a level playing field that would allow rural farmers to benefit by growing, or will it be restricted to a mafia of politically connected growers?
What is the opinion of the medical community?
Legalisation of medical marijuana, especially for export, would permit sufficient taxation and a creative enterprise market, with the Government of Sri Lanka desperately needing new revenue streams.
A government initiative to export cannabis
Interestingly, the idea to make cannabis a legal export crop actually came from government circles, and there hasn’t been much opposition to it from any political party. With Sri Lanka’s economy facing disaster due to the prolonged Covid pandemic, it stands to reason that the idea of legalising and exporting cannabis is very attractive, given the high prices paid in western countries.
Cultivation, export, domestic usage
One major hurdle is that if growing cannabis is to be legalised, then domestic usage would also need to be made legal. After all, it would be extremely strange to grow and export anything you wouldn’t allow to be used in your own country. For example, we would not want to use a Covid vaccine from Germany, if Germany itself wasn’t using it.
As such, cannabis would need to be regulated properly by health authorities and by industrial authorities dealing with exports. This brings us back to the question of whether cannabis usage should be legalised in Sri Lanka, and it is very pertinent to examine the current situation in other countries.
Global context
The steep rise in cannabis usage worldwide over the last five years is shown in Fig. 1.
The medical use of cannabis is legal in 42 of the world’s 193 countries.
Recreational use of cannabis is legal in four countries – Canada, South Africa, Georgia, and Uruguay. It is also legal in 15 of the 50 states of the US, and one of the seven states of Australia. However, the piecemeal legalisation of medicinal marijuana has spread internationally, including in nations like Israel, Australia, and Germany.
Many countries turn a blind eye towards enforcing cannabis laws.
The global legal marijuana market – including leisure use – is growing rapidly. It was estimated to be $ 13.8 billion last year, and is projected to reach $ 66.3 billion by the end of 2025, according to a report from California-based market research firm Grand View Research.
By 2024, Asia's medical cannabis industry would be worth more than $ 5.8 billion, according to Prohibition Partners.
In Asia, Seoul and Bangkok are leading the way toward normalisation and legalisation of medical marijuana under government licenses.
Thailand is the only Asian country that has fully legalised medicinal cannabis.
Amendments to Asian cannabis legislation include;
- 18 February 2019: The medical legalisation bill of Thailand
- 12 March 2019: The Medicinal Legalisation Act of South Korea
- 24 March 2019: Cannabis compound trials authorised in Japan