Stronger marijuana entering Guyana from North and South America – CANU Head

Marijuana with higher levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is continuing to enter Guyana from North and South America, with some shipments arriving through the country’s ports of entry disguised as medicinal cannabis, according to Head of the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU), James Singh.

THC is the chemical found in the cannabis plant and is responsible for the “high” marijuana gives. Marijuana with a higher-THC level is more potent.

Speaking with reporters on the sidelines of an event on Wednesday, Singh said authorities have intercepted high-THC marijuana arriving through the country’s ports of entry as well as in barrels shipped into the country.

“We have seen cases with it being imported through the airport and in barrels… in this instance we have seen it coming with several weapons, high-powered rifles and pistols, and that investigation now is a joint one with CANU, the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and other agencies,” Singh said.

He explained that the drug has been appearing on the local market for some time and noted that in some instances it is declared as medicinal marijuana.

“It’s been coming on the market for a while…. in some cases the marijuana is listed as medicinal marijuana so we have seen it come from North America into Guyana, has a higher THC, some of it is consumed here and others is transhipped outside of Guyana,” Singh stated.

Meanwhile, Singh said the agency continues to expand its public awareness campaign to educate young people about the dangers of drug use and other harmful substances.

“It’s ongoing, it’s a work in progress. We have stakeholders from the private sector, also Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, several schools and others.

So it’s more of awareness and we’re working to develop a program to sensitize the youths about the dangers of drugs and other harmful substances, alcohol and others,” he said.

According to Singh, the initiative is not focused solely on communities considered high-risk but is being rolled out across schools and communities nationwide.