Ecumenical Junior College Wins Spirited Debate on Marijuana Legislation

Pearla Martinez

The debate raged on all morning, with the three members of each team presenting the results of studies and surveys to support the stance assigned for the debate.

Pearla Martinez, Debator, Ecumenical Junior College

“Legalizing marijuana will reduce the street competition and the need for control of turf. Drastically reducing violence, corruption and the manipulation of our legal system. As a result law enforcement officers will be able to redirect their focus on other kinds of investigations. In her blog titled “The Argument for the Legalization of Marijuana in Belize.” Aria Lightfoot says the hundreds of man hours and resources and effort chasing down our youths and criminalizing them for essential a stick of weed and clogging the justice system which is cases of mostly young, black men who can’t make bail and end up housed with convicted murderers, rapist, thieves and other hard known criminals. Attorney Richard “Dickie” Bradley also made the point that the time wasted on harassing young men for weed can better be used to investigate the real serious crimes plaguing our nation. Like child sexual exploitation, burglary, rape and murder etc. In a study we conducted in Dangriga of 100 persons, 65 responded in agreement with the legalization of marijuana.”

Mickale Gilharry, Debator, Corozal Junior College

Mickale Gilharry

“Gangs do not only traffic marijuana, they traffic, that’s why they are called drug dealers because it is a collection of drugs that they traffic; that includes cocaine and heroin. So legalizing that one drug will not stop gangs from trafficking others and so there will still be drug trafficking by gangs. Secondly police cannot stop doing roads on these gangs because they legalize on drug. Because as we have mentioned, this type comes in whit a collection of drugs that are illegal. So they must still continue raids and searches to control these other drugs such as cocaine and heroin thus not reducing their cost as is being stated by our opponent. Lastly they went on about a teenager or someone being jailed for one stick of weed. That is exactly why on last year the Belizean government decriminalized marijuana to allow a person to have 10 grams of weed.”

Ecumenical Junior College emerged victorious at the end of the debate, with Kenroy Elijio receiving special recognition as an outstanding debator.