Marijuana Commission Advances Cannabis Research in Antigua With Ethics Approval

The Marijuana Commission’s investigation into cannabis use in Antigua and Barbuda has reached an important milestone. Researchers are now authorized to conduct formal surveys after the Ethics Committee approves them.

Bishop Charlesworth Browne, the Commission’s Public Relations Officer, announced that the group recently held its inaugural in-person meeting after a series of virtual discussions.

He told Antigua.news that the committee was very much at work and had been waiting for the ethics committee.

“We had to get permission from the assigned ethics committee and recently had permission. We have been meeting virtually, and we met last month for a face-to-face meeting. We have given all our developments to the Cabinet so far,” he said

Meanwhile, Browne said the media will receive limited information until the committee reaches a particular point in the work.

The Commission, led by Dr. Kwasi Tonge, was created in December 2023 in response to growing public unease regarding the implications of the 2018 marijuana decriminalization, especially its effects on the younger population.

Last year, Ambassador Lionel Hurst, Chief of Staff in the Office of the Prime Minister, discussed the government’s dedication to implementing evidence-based policies. “Our objective is to establish the facts, and institutions like the University of the West Indies can provide the scientific reports on marijuana’s influence on youth,” Hurst remarked.

The Commission consists of six members, including experts like psychologist Dr. Griffin Benjamin, Case Management and Data Officer Audie Browne, and Researcher and Juvenile Rehabilitation Prospects Officer Victoria Dyer.