2015 Was the Year of the Ganja in Jamaica

[Onyango Oloo]

EXCERPT:

The issue of ganja played very prominently in our (Jamaican) society in 2015 with some advocates trumpeting the dawn of a “new green golden kingdom”, while some opponents predicting the doom of our youths to the “green demon”. However, a sober analysis of the situation will reveal that even though there were indeed some victories in relation to how we treat with ganja in Jamaica, there is still a lot more to achieve and pitfalls to be mindful of in relation to our policy on establishing a fully legally regulated ganja industry.

Ganja strides in 2015:

The beginning of 2015 saw the inaugural “International Cannabis Investors Conference being held at the Jamaica Conference Centre from January 28 to 29. This saw a number of international cannabis (ganja) business enthusiasts’ descending on the Conference Centre to scope out potential for investing in Jamaica’s ganja industry even though they were not sure what was happening with the Draft Bill to amend the Dangerous Drugs Act, that would allow for ganja to be used for medical, therapeutic or scientific purposes.

Then in February the Houses of Parliament 2015 passed “an Act to Amend the Dangerous Drugs Act so as to provide for, among other things, the modification of penalties for the possession of ganja in specified circumstances, and for a scheme of licences, permits and other authorizations for medical, therapeutic or scientific purposes”.
In April, the “Ganja Law” as it is commonly referred to, was gazetted with the publishing of a list of recommendations on how the Amendment to the Dangerous Drugs Act (DDA) would be effected in relation to the herb.What was important to note and to continually highlight here, is that the amended law didn’t legalize ganja, but instead decriminalized the possession of small quantities (2 ounces or less) and recognized the sacramental use of the plant by the Rastafarian community.The amendment also made way for the medicinal, therapeutic and scientific use of the plant, thereby recognizing a provision that was always available under the United Nations Conventions on Narcotic Drugs. In this same month on April 20, the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona was granted a Ministerial Order by the Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, under Section 7 (d) of the newly amended DDA to cultivate cannabis and engage independent growers of the plant for research purposes. This led to the historic signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the UWI (Mona) and the Ganja (Future) Growers and Producers Association on April 24. The period also saw the Cabinet granting approval for a 16 member Cannabis Licensing Authority, with the mandate to regulate the planned hemp and medicinal ganja industry.

In early May the members of the Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA) were announced by the Minister of Information, along with the mandate to ensure that the Jamaica’s ganja regulations do not contravene our international obligations. In addition to the announcement of the CLA, there was also a significant contribution made to the international community by the Minister of Justice, Senator the Honourable Mark Golding.On May 7, Senator Golding participated in a plenary session with several member states at the United Nations in a High Level Thematic Debate on International Drug Policy in preparation for the UN General Assembly Special Session on the World Drug Problem (UNGASS) scheduled for April 19-21 2016. Minister Golding highlighted Jamaica’s perspectives called for open and inclusive discussions, including the creation of an expert advisory group to review the United Nations drug policy control architecture.Senator Golding’s statement can be viewed as indicative of the leading role that Jamaica is expecting to take in the Caribbean region on the issue of international drug policy. While on May 14, the University of Technology (UTech) was also issued a Ministerial Order by the Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining at its Medical Marijuana Integration Day.Under the theme “Cannabis Reclaimed” the President of the UTech outlined the intent of the institution to reap the “social benefits” of ganja that was highly anticipated from the emerging industry.
In June the Cannabis Licensing Authority held its first meeting while there was growing anxiety amongst advocates and potential investors as to the development of the industry and requirements for licenses.

In July the Minister of Justice signed the Criminal Records (Rehabilitation of Offenders) (Automatic Expungement of Convictions) Order 2015 to allow for the expungement of the records of persons with previous convictions for smoking ganja and possession of ganja where the sentence imposed was a fine not exceeding J$1,000 and the possession of pipes or other paraphernalia used for the smoking of ganja. This Order became effective on July 9...

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