Home Affairs
Immigration
Guernsey needs to establish the maximum population load that the island can accommodate. This number can be dynamic but is needed to ensure careful management of dwelling cost inflation.
Maximum load should consider economic needs, social acceptance, infrastructure planning and dwelling availability (although other factors based on need should also be considered).
Without a maximum load, States policy assumes that continuous incremental increase can be achieved without control. This is, evidently (based on rental increases and house prices) not the case and as such this is an urgent policy review that needs to be addressed. I would look to build consensus of this with the committee initially and with all Deputies if necessary to deliver change.
Cannabis Legislation
I am, currently, largely in favor of bringing forward a discussion within the States (such as the Leadbeater Requete) on legislation to responsibly legalize cannabis via a regulated market rather than maintain a justice system enforcement approach.
Legalization of cannabis and a regulated controlled market could potentially create a new tax revenue stream for the island which could be used to fund substance abuse intervention and public health education campaigns. This could, if introduced responsibly, reduce policing costs, mental health care costs and reduce burdens across the criminal justice system and healthcare system.
Legalization could sit within the current substance use strategy recently published as the legalization would disincentivize diversion of medically prescribed cannabis and control the distribution.
There are of course, alternative views on this and I do not have full data nor access to all stake holders. As such, at this time, I can only support a debate on the topic, but I do believe a debate is what is needed.