Prime Minister Mercelina’s perspective on Cannabis legislation St Maarten
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On Friday, January 17, 2025, Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Luc Mercelina delivered the following words in the House of Parliament in relation to Cannabis legislation during the 2025 draft national budget debate.
Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina: “I thought long about what I want to say now. We went very late or very early to bed, yesterday or this morning, everybody knows that, and I was exhausted, tired and also worried and I decided today that I will state some vision, sentiments, ideas about a topic that has taken up a significant portion of our budget discussion.
“I’m going to discuss this topic first of all as a citizen of Sint Maarten, and of course as Prime Minister, as politician, as doctor and especially as father of the next generation. And the topic is the topic of cannabis. This morning when I woke up, I saw this already being described in the daily herald, first page.
“Before I continue with this topic, I want to inform you that the idea of me giving my opinion as Prime Minister of the Sint Maarten and also as a citizen and father is not that I am against or for cannabis. That should never be the end conclusion of what I’m going to say now about cannabis.
“In the daily herald this morning we read that 71% of the new admittances by the Mental Health Foundation was probably induced by cannabis.
“Madam chair, once more it’s not that I am against or for this whole cannabis development and discussion in Sint Maarten. However, what I do realize is that our country has significant challenges at this particular moment being healthcare, mental health care, education, unemployment, criminality, and especially huge challenges with the youth of Sint Maarten.
“The basics that make us a great community we do not have under control until now and already in our budget discussion we are adding a huge baby to the crib. We are talking constantly about the socio-economic consequences of the introduction of cannabis, but the socio, as MP Meyers and MP Veronica Jansen-Webster said, is silently in front of the economic consequences that are being presented very loudly every time that we talk about this cannabis issue.
“Once more, I am not for, I am not against, but I want to say a little more about this cannabis. Let us not put the cart in front of the horse. We have made such errors enormously often in the past. Even countries in West Europe that are over regulated and organized are still having a gedoogbeleid concerning this cannabis because this topic is such a complex topic that you have to organize it very good to have it good under control when you want to introduce it in a community.
“We do not have Turning Point well organized for the people of our country. Realize all the people walking next to the roads of Sint Maarten that everybody is accepting as if it is just a common furniture image that is part of this community. I want to disagree with what we have now already in our perception where we think that it’s normal that that great human creation is hanging around next to the street without a future.
“I just said we do not have Turning Point organized and for sure as a doctor I can tell you we do not have mental health organized in our country.
“Remember a statement made by MP Lyndon Lewis, if I’m not mistaken, about the stoned percentage of youth that are attending school in the morning. We are destroying the future of our children if already with conviction we can say that there is a significant part of the youth that attend school under stoned circumstances.
“We already see a lot of psychosis on the streets of Sint Maarten, and we know that cannabis induces psychosis in humankind, and we know also that there is one type of psychosis called schizophrenia that is enormously vulnerable to be luxated by the use of cannabis.
“Please Members of Parliament, I am asking you all out of my heart, make sure you have it not only legalized but well-regulated for your country in the case that after all of what I have told you, you still feel comfortable moving forward with this topic.
“Do not forget the destruction to the youths by use of cannabis that we are seeing already. Do not forget the high percentage of psychosis/schizophrenia that is induced by the use of cannabis. Do not forget the criminality that follows the world of cannabis.
“Ladies and gentlemen, Members of Parliament, please let do not let pecunia and the hidden agenda that is very often related to pecunia, be the driving force for this project called the legalization of cannabis.
“I want you guys to remember one thing. Most of you are fathers of children. You do not want to drive tomorrow in your car, see your son walking barefoot next to the street because you were in a chair to regulate it in a way that it would not affect the son that you see walking next to the road while you are passing in your suit in your car going to Parliament or the government building.
“Remember that you have now momentum in hand to acknowledge the responsibility you have once you start thinking about propelling this project called legalization of cannabis. El Amore is Verde, Cannabis is Verde. Money in this country is also Verde. Madam Chair, thank you very much for the opportunity.”
