Legalize It, Don’t Criticize It – Jamaica Moves Forward with Cannabis Reform

espite widespread use by the general
population, cannabis has remained illegal on the Caribbean paradise.  However, that is expected to change this
year.

The Jamaican Government has now backed a
bill to legalize medical cannabis. Possession of small amounts (less than 2 ounces) of recreational
cannabis will be punishable by a ticketable fine. Widespread home grow (of up to five plants)
will also be allowed. The new law would
also allow the use of cannabis for religious purposes.  Rastafarians have long used cannabis for this
purpose.  This would be the first time,
however, such use would be legal since the spiritual movement was founded in
the 1930s.

The measure would also create a regulatory
infrastructure for the cultivation and selling of medical use cannabis, or for
other purposes that are scientific or therapeutic in nature.

Reform has been a hotly contested topic on
the island for decades, as it has in the U.S. But it appears that North American reform has proved to be the driver
for legislative action in Jamaica.  Many
Carribean and Latin American countries have also expressed, for many years, a
desire to legalize the drug to rid local economies of the influence of black
market drug cartels.

Following The Cabinet’s authorization,
Justice Minister Mark Golding will introduce the bill in the Senate at the end
of the week. It is widely expected to
pass.

“We need to position ourselves to take
advantage of the significant economic opportunities offered by this emerging
industry,” Golding said. 

This will be the first step in ending a
century long prohibition on the Islands.