Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has said he expects legislation allowing for the decriminalisation of marijuana as well as campaign finance reform to be brought before the Parliament soon.
"The work has been done in both cases," said the Prime Minister in a radio interview on Power 102.1fm on Monday morning.
"It (the Marijuana legislation) is about to be laid in the Parliament. The work has been pretty much complete, it's about to be laid and of course and of the campaign finance reform let me just say the work has been done," said Dr. Rowley, "this session of Parliament will be very interesting."
During the interview, the Prime Minister was also asked about changes to the equal opportunity act, which Pride TT has clamoured for as they argued the act excludes the LGBTQI community while directly mentioning other groups.
" I am not aware that that is so. I don't know if any law that applies to people and says that this law gives benefit to ABCD but it does not give it to XYZ," said the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister, however, queried if they were truly excluded but said if there were a loophole it should be corrected.
"If there's an exclusion there is no requirement for anybody to be excluded under our constitution. So if it is somebody is saying because I am not named I am excluded and that can be shown to be so interpretation, then there is a case there to be corrected," said Dr Rowley, who however countered their claims that they were denied health care.
"I am not so sure that anybody is excluded from health care in Trinidad and Tobago. As far as I am aware, whatever health care is available to the citizens is available to all the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago. Nobody asks you about your sexual preference before they give you health care in Trinidad and Tobago and if there are people that feel that way I don't know if that is so," said the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister also spoke on the recent debate on fireworks following the death of a Kangaroo at the Emperor Valley Zoo last week. The Zoo stated that the animal became traumatised after the fireworks display on Independence Night which they said was the loudest they had experienced.
"The noise could be reduced or the location of the fireworks could be changed but I don't think they should ban fireworks. It's a part of our feel-good at Independence and other times but it's how you manage it. I think technologically it is possible to have fireworks that aren't that loud. Where it is done, maybe if it is too close to the zoo, maybe they may think of having it somewhere else. I don't know that that is the only place they can have it," he said.
The Prime Minister dismissed calls for the Zoo to be moved as he believed an important part of City life.
"As Minister responsible for the Zoo I very strongly support the Zoo. A zoo is a city item. It brings into the city for those who are city livers the outdoors," he said, "Zoos are very very educational, they are very relaxing. And many animals are better off than there are outside. I think the Port of Spain City environment benefits from the Zoo."