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A PLAN by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to raise the legal age for marijuana use to 25 has come in for sharp criticism from cannabis activist Nazma Muller, who says the move could damage Trinidad and Tobago’s emerging cannabis medical tourism industry, criminalise poor youth, and trample constitutional rights.

Muller, founder and chairman of the Caribbean Collective for Justice, warned the proposed age restriction is out of step with regional and international standards and may come with unintended economic consequences.

“From a tourism aspect, who are we going to be trying to attract?” Muller rhetorically asked during a telephone interview yesterday. “Even people with children with autism, they can’t come here because they can’t fill a prescription. Children are prohibited from having cannabis. This could cause a lot of legal problems.”