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Nazma Muller, head of the Caribbean Collective for Justice, expressed "measured optimism" in relation to the public meetings.
Trinidad and Tobago's Government has announced plans to create an inter-ministerial committee tasked with organizing town hall meetings throughout the Caribbean country to discuss and debate the decriminalization and legalization of marijuana or cannabis.
The decision came after just two hours of discussion in Port of Spain between the Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi, Minister in the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs Fitzgerald Hinds and members of the Caribbean Collective for Justice at the Legal Affairs Tower, according to the Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.
The head of the collective, Nazma Muller, said the group has “measured optimism,” that organizing the town hall meetings represent a first step towards achieving the goal of decriminalizing marijuana.
She emphasized that all parties agreed that the consultation was necessary in order to get broader public viewpoints on the matter before the process goes any further.
Just last week she was denied entry to the Diplomatic Centre as she attempted to deliver a petition, featuring 10,000 signatures, to Rowley calling for the legalization of marijuana, according to the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian.
However, the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Keith Rowley accepted a petition regarding the decriminalization of marijuana in the country. He also agreed to hold discussions about the issue between the Attorney General and activists.
“We don't have to fight over this,” Rowley told Muller as he accepted the envelope with the petition tucked inside as he promised to hold a meeting between activists and Al-Rawi.
“It’s a great day for Trinidad and Tobago, the Prime Minister has indicated that he is willing to have a conversation to discuss the legalization of cannabis,” Muller said at the time.
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