Ganja to remain under ban in Jamaica because of int'l treaties

Philip Hamilton, Gleaner Writer

JAMAICA IS unlikely to decriminalise the use of ganja now or any time in the future, despite recommendations by the 2001 National Commission on Ganja, established to examine the reform of ganja laws.

According to Dr Wendel Abel of the University of the West Indies (UWI) Department of Community Health and Psychiatry, Jamaica, a signatory to several international and regional conventions and treaties on drug controls, faces being slapped with sanctions should it attempt decriminalisation.

Abel, who was speaking last Thursday at a lecture titled 'Ganja: Legalise or Not Legalise It' at UWI, said Jamaica had little choice but to implement local laws which supported these conventions.

"There are 193 parties who have signed on to these international conventions, thus making the drug illegal in most countries in terms of consuming, use, cultivation, possession, cultivation, transfer or trade," said Abel.

Abel said some of these local legislations supported international conventions. These include the Dangerous Drugs Act, money laundering, drug offences, and the Sharing of Forfeited Property Act.

Threat of sanctions

He said failure to adhere to these conventions would result in sanctions imposed on the country, including the with-drawal of most United States foreign assistance, as well as opposition to loans sought from multinational development banks.

In 2001, the National Com-mission on Ganja, chaired by the late Professor Barry Chevannes, submitted its recommendations based on its findings on the public's perception on the decriminalisation of ganja.

The commission's recommendations included amendments to laws to decriminalise ganja for private, personal use of small quantities by adults, and decriminalisation for use as a sacrament for religious purposes.

It also recommended that decriminalisation for personal use should exclude smoking, by juveniles or in public, and should include the development ofan all-media, all-schools education programme aimed at demand reduc-tion, which targets young persons.

Abel also quoted a recent statement by Prime Minister Bruce Golding in November last year during a function at King's House, in which he was quoted as saying the decrimi-nalisation of ganja in Jamaica was no simple task as such actionhad serious foreign-policy implications.

Responding to comments on the widespread use of ganja in Jamaica, Abel said, contrary to what most persons thought, research showed that Jamaica was ranked at 10 per cent in the world in terms of the top cannabis-using countries in the world.

He said the findings also showed that Jamaica was ranked number three at 9.9 per cent in the Caribbean in ganja usage, behind St Kitts-Nevis and Grenada.

"The reality is that marijuana shall remain illegal when we consider the international obliga-tions. My position is that we should decriminalise for personal, private and medical use. In addition, we should ensure that we control and regulate, which involves limiting sale to minors and limiting use in public," said Abel.

But 42-year-old, Barry Reid, a mechanic who admits to "taking a draw every once in a while" believes the government should decriminalise ganja use, especially for persons found carrying small quantities.

Reid, a recreational ganja smoker for more than 20 years, supports the National Commission on Ganja's recommendation that the laws be amended to reflect this, though he feels persons found in possession of larger quantities should be prosecuted.