Former senior police officer Isireli Vaniqi is concerned that seedlings for the planned medicinal cannabis industry could be smuggled out.
Mr Vaniqi, who spent more than 30 years with the police department, said it would be easy to leak out the seedlings because of their tiny size.
He said locals who would work with the two foreign investors at the manufacturing facilities could take out the seedling of the new cannabis species by hiding them under their tongues and leave undetected.
“This will create more problems for the Fiji Police Force,” Mr Vaniqi said.
“At the moment, they are finding it hard to control the illicit cultivation of cannabis in Fiji, of which there are three species.
“Adding to this is the issue of methamphetamine or ice. This will create more problems for the communities.”
To mitigate this, Mr Vaniqi said the indoor farms and manufacturing facility should have tight security to ensure seedlings weren’t smuggled out.
“The staff should get checked every day before leaving the facility. And they should ensure they wear masks because if they don’t it could affect their health.
“I used to uproot cannabis while working for the Fiji Police Force and I know firsthand the effects of not wearing a mask.”
Mr Vaniqi is urging the Government to rethink its proposal before establishing the industry here.
