Guyana Attorney General Directs Law Enforcement To Not Jail Cannabis Offenders

Guyana’s Attorney General Anil Nandlall recently cautioned law enforcement not to jail cannabis consumers in possession of less than 30 grams of cannabis in the South American country, stating that doing so is against the law.

“The statement from the Attorney General follows a report of the Police arresting and locking up a man who was allegedly nabbed with 15 grams of marijuana. In a separate incident, another person was arrested and kept in custody by the Police after being found with 4.2 grams of Marijuana in Matthews Ridge.” reported News Source in its local coverage.

“The principle is, that if you cannot be found guilty and jailed at the conclusion of your case., or if you plead guilty then a Police Officer has no power and authority to put you in the lock up for that offence when you are arrested, you are entitled to bail,” Mr. Nandlall said according to the local media outlet.

In Guyana, if a cannabis consumer is caught with 15 grams of cannabis or below, the offender is charged and the penalty is mandatory counseling. For consumers caught with between 15 and 30 grams, the penalty is community service ordered by a Magistrate.

Guyana’s South American peer Uruguay remains the only country on the continent to have adopted a national adult-use legalization measure. Uruguay became the first country on the planet to legalize cannabis at a national level back in 2013, with legal sales beginning in 2017.

National recreational cannabis legalization has also been adopted in Canada, Malta, Luxembourg, Germany, and South Africa. Several other countries have decriminalized personal cannabis activity to some degree, and at least 57 countries have adopted medical cannabis legalization measures, including in South America.