Close to 100 residents, party supporters and members of the Future Bermuda Alliance (FBA) turned out last night at Docksiders Pub for an open mic session on marijuana reform.The feedback generated will be used as part of the basis for a position paper on the subject by the youth wing of the One Bermuda Alliance.Panellists included Alan Gordon, Junior Public Safety Minister Jeff Baron, co-founder of Chewstick Najib Chentouf, Rev Dr Ernest Peets, the Programme Coordinator at Focus and moderator Stratton Hatfield.Following a brief overview on the pros and cons by Anthony Francis, a former OBA candidate, members of the audience were asked to air their views in two minutes or less.The first to speak was Jason Stovell, 24, who said he supports the decriminalisation of cannabis in Bermuda.“Alcohol hasn’t done us much justice, we need to give marijuana a chance, maintain it, regulate — I fully support it.”Robert Daniels told the audience that his father suffers from glaucoma and that he too supports the decrimilisation of marijuana.Another man, who asked not to be named, called on the powers that be to use “common sense and logic”.“It’s a disgrace and it’s a human rights atrocity for this drug war to be locking people in prison for a plant that is less harmful than the legal drugs available.“What they should do is go over to KFC and stop people from eating greasy food or sitting in bars, which is ironic right now in itself,” he said. “And it would be a sin to tax it once we free up the ganja to have the Government benefit from it.”Public Safety Minister Michael Dunkley, who was in the audience, was pleased with the turnout.“We’re delighted with the initiative taken by the FBA and we’re pleased that on a Sunday night, when there’s a lot going on and people are getting ready to go to work, that there’s a good turnout,” he said.“This is a very difficult subject to discuss because people seem to be either in one camp or the other.“It’s great that the FBA has put it on so that people can put their opinion out there.“This Government made it very clear that we will look at this subject and so this type of discussion with a cross section of Bermuda’s society helps us determine the position going forward.“We’re not afraid to tackle the difficult issues, we’ve shown that. And so I’m delighted to have the opportunity to come out and listen. And I look forward to the report.”Education Minister Nalton Brangman agreed. He said: “The people of Bermuda need to know that their Government is prepared to hear them.“FBA is an organisation within the OBA which provides a forum for open mic discussions so that the views of the people, all the people, can be heard.“As legislators it’s important that we get the pulse, feel the pulse and appreciate how the people are feeling on every subject; this is a very good thing.”