We begin Covering the Individual Finalist and today it's Shinaal Lin the #FijiTimes Link to the e-article -> http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=413792 Photo by : Bau Bauu Hair & Makeup : Allure by Washmina Sarees and Jewelry by Tappoos Vinaka Vishaal Kumar #MissIndiaFiji #MissIndiaFiji2017 #Fiji (at Grand Pacific Fiji)

How is it that as legal as it is, alcohol and tobacco can kill one directly whereas marijuana is non-toxic to the human body (more: http://norml.org/aboutmarijuana) and posses no direct fatal threat - yet it remains illegal? How did this law come to be in the first place? A report by the WHO estimates that annually, about 6 million people die from tobacco smoking and around 2.3 million from alcohol, worldwide. In the United States, the total number of deaths caused by cannabis in all their history up till 2010 was zero (more: http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/Causes_of_Death#sthash.axCFhuqZ.dpbs). You can die of alcohol intoxication through binge drinking but how many people have you heard of that have died from marijuana overdose? I read a letter to the Editor of The Fiji Times once describing how marijuana is “evil to society” like it’s some sort of poison or threat to humanity. What shocked me wasn’t the words this writer used but the realisation that many Fijians seem to share this view and the view that marijuana causes mental illness. In 2005, 63% of outpatients of St. Giles Hospital had cannabis induced psychosis (more: https://www.burnet.edu.au/system/publication/file/980/Drug_and_Alcohol_Use_in_Fiji.pdf) but this number is based on anecdotal evidence rather than scientific evidence. A report done by the WHO MIND on Mental Health in Fiji states that from 2005 to 2007, there were 167 patients in St. Giles Hospital for marijuana abuse - not addiction (more: http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/85325/1/9789241505659_eng.pdf). Because the possession and consumption of marijuana is in conflict with the law, it is classified as "abuse." Court case referrals to St. Giles Hospital (usually for marijuana possession) is one of the main reasons for such high figures. This is a normal legal procedure that is possible through The Sentencing and Penalties Decree 2009 under Part IX 4 (b) and IV 15-(1) (c) (more: http://www.fiji.gov.fj/getattachment/43a3d255-9f7a-4f65-a1b1-88694079b20f/Decree-No-42---Sentencing-and-Penalties-Decree-200.aspx). Contrary to popular beliefs, marijuana is not a very addictive drug either, compared to tobacco and alcohol. A large scale survey done by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that marijuana is less addictive than many legal and illegal drugs (more: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-truth-about-pot/ and http://m.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-teenage-mind/201012/is-marijuana-addictive). It is estimated that 32% of tobacco users will become addicted, 23% of heroin users, 17% of cocaine users, and 15% of alcohol users. Only 9% of marijuana users will become addicted. Cocaine and heroin are more physically harmful and nicotine is much more addictive. It is much harder to quit smoking cigarettes than it is to quit smoking pot. I did some reading and found in an article published on the Fiji School of Medicine website that marijuana doesn’t cause mental illnesses like schizophrenia - it only brings it out in vulnerable individuals who are already predisposed to schizophrenia and who would otherwise develop it at a later date (more: http://www.fsm.ac.fj/Medicine%20Website/HADIF%20website/6%20Drugs/6%20Drugs.htm). This is in agreement with many other research being carried out abroad. Medically speaking, marijuana causes immediate changes in thoughts, perceptions and information processing. But this only lasts for the duration of intoxication. A recent, large-scale, longitudinal study of adult marijuana users confirms earlier findings that marijuana produces no long-term negative effects on cognition, stating, “The adverse impacts of cannabis use on cognitive functions either appear to be related to pre-existing factors or are reversible.. even after potentially extended periods of use” (more: http://healthland.time.com/2011/07/19/study-marijuana-not-linked-with-long-term-cognitive-impairment/). Furthermore, recent research have found anti-cancer and tumor killing properties of marijuana in laboratory experiments and clinical studies and it is already used to prevent seizures, treat glaucoma and help AIDS patients regain appetite. Economically, putting exports aside, imagine how much we would be making in Marijuana Tourism alone with an estimated 15 percent of worldwide marijuana users living in the Oceania region of Australia and New Zealand (more: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/australia-has-highest-users-of-cannabis-in-the-world/story-e6freuy9-1226238091002). This money can be used to further modernise our country in terms of infrastructure and education. We legalise the production of tobacco and alcohol in large factories locally which continue to kill Fijians and destroy our families and yet send our own citizens to jail (most of which are unemployed youths) for selling a plant that has never caused any fatality in recorded worldwide history. How does one reason with that? Our government should at least decriminalise the use and possession of marijuana especially since the majority offenders are youths. Being caught with marijuana can get you to serve time in prison and a criminal record to your name. By decriminalising it, we would be taking a smaller but forward step in ensuring youths aren’t permanently marked with a criminal record which would be detrimental to ones employment prospects. We send child rapists to prison on this count alone for 2 years (more: http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=268008&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+fijitimes+%28Fiji+Times+Online+-+Fiji+News%29) whereas marijuana possession or cultivation in Fiji under Part 2, Section 5 (a) (b) of The Fiji Islands Illicit Drugs Control Act 2004 can earn one up to lifetime imprisonment depending on amount (more: www.paclii.org/fj/legis/num_act/idca2004242.rtf). Isn’t that absurd?! 
 I found on the internet this site that debunks myths about marijuana. If you think this site seems a bit bias, you can always follow up on their references to credible sources and research. Link: http://www.drugpolicy.org/drug-facts/10-facts-about-marijuana?utm_expid=19040138-1.0vcsEbHZT5iNIomRn9NRhw.0&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F