Jamaica set to allow small amounts of marijuana

Reggae legend Bunny Wailer smokes a pipe stuffed with marijuana in Kingston, Jamaica. Picture: AP

After several hours of debate, MPs in the lower house gave final passage to drug law amendments that make possession of up to 2oz of marijuana a petty offence that would not result in a criminal record.

Cultivation of five or fewer plants on any premises would  be permitted in Jamaica, where the drug has long been culturally entrenched but illegal.

The law paves the way for a cannabis licensing authority to deal with regulations on cultivation and distribution of marijuana for medical, scientific and therapeutic purposes.

Rastafarians can also legally use marijuana now for religious purposes for the first time on the island, where the spiritual movement was founded in the 1930s.

And tourists who are prescribed medical marijuana abroad will be able to apply for permits allowing them to buy small amounts of Jamaican weed, or “ganja” as it is known locally.

Peter Bunting, the island’s  national security minister, said the new law does not mean that the Jamaican government plans to soften its stance on  drug trafficking or cultivation of illegal plots.

“The passage of this legislation does not create a free-for-all in the growing, transporting, dealing or exporting of ganja. The security forces will continue to rigorously enforce Jamaican law consistent with our international treaty obligations,” he told parliament.

Before the vote, William Brownfield, US assistant secretary for counter-narcotics affairs, said: “Jamaican law is of course Jamaica’s own business, and  Jamaica’s sovereign decision.”

However, he noted that the trafficking of marijuana into the United States remained against the law.

“We expect that Jamaica and all states party to the UN Drug Conventions will uphold their obligations, including a firm commitment to combating and dismantling criminal organisations involved in drug trafficking,” Mr Brownfield added.

For decades, debate has raged in Jamaica over relaxing laws prohibiting ganja. Previous efforts to decriminalise the possession of small amounts of marijuana have been scuttled because officials feared they would violate international treaties and bring sanctions from Washington.

But, emboldened by changes to drug laws in other countries, Jamaican officials now have high hopes the island could become a player in the medical marijuana industry, health tourism and  the development of innovative pot-derived products.

Local scientists already have  a history of creating marijuana-derived products, such as Canasol, a medicine which helps to relieve pressure in the eyes of glaucoma patients.

Commerce minister Anthony Hylton said the industry held “great potential” for Jamaica, which is labouring under its  latest loan programme with the International Monetary Fund.

The move by MPs adds to an international trend of easing restrictions on marijuana for medical or personal use.

More than 20 US states allow some form of medical marijuana, and last year Colorado and Washington legalised personal use.

On Tuesday, Alaska became the third state to legalise the  recreational use of marijuana.