Feetham sets out views on legalising cannabis

The Leader of the Opposition, Daniel Feetham, has called on the Government to set up a working group of experts to review information and evidence on the decriminalisation of cannabis and not consult the public until this is complete.

Mr Feetham set out his view on the subject during an interview with GBC and was responding to recent comments made by Health Minister, Neil Costa, who told the broadcaster that the government should consult the whole community on whether the personal use of cannabis should be decriminalised.

“I don’t think you start by consulting the public at large on something as important as this because there are going to be different views from the public,” Mr Feetham said.

“This has to be motored or moved by experts and you have got to ask different questions of those experts.”

He added: “I think it has to be expert driven because I am not an expert, I can’t tell you what the benefits are of discrimination, and therefore if the Government were keen on proceeding on something like this the first thing you would do is set up a working group composed of experts that would then perhaps receive evidence or articles that have been written by other experts internationally because we are unlikely to have all the expertise here in Gibraltar.”

“Then for that to report to the Government and then if you want to consult members of the public you can do so, but you do so on some informed bases,” he added.

Mr Feetham also warned that “we have got to be very careful here in Gibraltar not to jump on every single bandwagon and on every single fad and certainly the GSD is not going to be doing that.”