Opposition Leader Calls for Minister Pablo Marin to Resign

John Briceño

A second letter surfaced on Tuesday which speaks to Minister Marin’s support for the development of commercial production of hemp in the Stann Creek District. The letter, dated October fourteen 2017 was addressed to Marco Caruso, a well-known businessman.  Then, there is a third letter dated November eleventh, 2017. It is addressed to PharmPro Limited, a company on the Placencia Peninsula. The letter is also signed by Minister Marin and speaks to the commercial production of hemp in the Stann Creek District with the exact same four conditions given to Caruso. Opposition Leader, John Briceño, told News Five that if indeed Marin did not inform his cabinet colleagues of his discussion, he should resign immediately.  Briceño also highlighted a recent report from the CARICOM Marijuana Commission. That report looks at whether there should be a change in the current drug classification of marijuana thereby making the drug more accessible for all types of usage. According to Briceño, Prime Minister Dean Barrow was at the summit where the document was released and he expressed his support.

John Briceño, P.U.P. Leader

“On October the fourteenth, 2017, a Marco Caruso in the Placencia Village got another one. Then there is on the eleventh on November 2017, PharmPro Limited. We are trying to find out who is PharmPro Limited but we can’t find out because it seems it is an offshore company. Who are they fronting for? So for a minister to take such a big action like this on his own, then if that is so he needs to resign from Cabinet. If he does not resign it means he was doing it with the tacit approval of the Prime Minister because such a major decision he can’t do on his own and if he has done that he needs to resign as the Minister of Health. If he does not resign from the Cabinet that means the Prime Minister was aware and quietly gave a little wink but now that they were caught they are trying to reel it back and say they had nothing to do with that. Just in July the CARICOM Heads which the Prime Minister was there had a meeting in July where all of then met and a four year study was presented to them. The commission is saying that marijuana was recommended should be legalized and regulated much like alcohol. And it quotes, “It’s clear that in the region attitudes towards cannabis have changed in recent times. There is overwhelming support for law reform.”