16/06/2007 00:00:00
Pacific island in spin over planned pro-marijuana conference
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A proposed pro-marijuana conference to be held in the US-administered
Northern Mariana Islands has led to a bizarre row among local legislators.
Opponents of the conference of Californian-based activists advocating
that marijuana should be legalised have suggested the territory should
be renamed the Northern Marijuana Islands.
But the cash-strapped government says the conference would be a boon for
the sagging tourism industry.
"We welcome anybody who wants to hold a conference here, whether it be
to discuss marijuana or not," government spokesman Charles Reyes said
Thursday.
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"We want to attract conferences in the Northern Marianas because
conferences are good for tourism."
Reyes said previous attempts to legalise marijuana in the Northern
Marianas had all failed and there was no plan to change the policy now.
"There's no move right now to legalise marijuana."
But Senate vice-president Pete Reyes said the conference would give a
bad impression of the territory.
"It gives the impression that we're so desperate to generate some money
that we would sell our souls," Reyes said.
Government officials did not say when the conference was to be held.
Marijuana is a popular if illegal drug in the Northern Marianas where
there are regular seizures of plants.
http://www.terra.net.lb/
Source:
http://www.ukcia.org/news/shownewsarticle.php?articleid=12620
Author:
Terranet via UKCIA
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