GEORGETOWN, Guyana -- A Caribbean trade bloc has created a commission to study whether the region's roughly 15 million people should be allowed to use medical marijuana and how courts should handle possession of small amounts of the drug.
Leaders said late Wednesday that the commission is expected to submit reports by Caricom's next summit, scheduled for February 2016.
A recent preliminary report from Caricom found that decriminalizing medical marijuana could help boost the region's economy.
Caribbean leaders are now holding a summit in Antigua.
Activists in Jamaica, St. Lucia and other islands have been pushing to legalize marijuana use.
