The prohibitionist treatment of the cannabis sativa plant, coupled with the outdated drug laws, continues to be an issue of deep social significance in the international space, the Caribbean and, by no lesser means, to the people of Jamaica who have long known cannabis as a miracle plant with medicinal properties through traditional use. Much has been said about the current laws, the interim regulations and framework, in Jamaica, treating with accessing ganja for use as medicine through a licensing and enforcement framework, the rights of Rastafarians to use ganja as a sacrament, and the decriminalisation of possession of up to two ounces of ganja. There is the Report of the CARICOM Regional Commission on Marijuana 2018: Waiting to Exhale – Safeguarding Our Future Through Responsible Socio-Legal Policy On Marijuana , which clearly echoes and sums up the voices of the region; a significantly large portion of the people want to have access to the plant for its medicinal properties. They believe, among other things, that the prohibitionist laws are discriminatory, deeply unjust, unfit for purpose, and they violate certain fundamental rights and freedom. There have been increasing and sustained agitation and actions from the people in the English-speaking […]
