Tag: jamaica
-
Rethinking drug prohibition on a global scale
Sunday, 01 May 2016Last month, the United Nations General Assembly met for the first time in history to reconsider international drug prohibition with an eye toward policies focused on health and human rights. Facing u ...
Read more... -
Holness Government urged to be bold and legalise ganja
Monday, 25 April 2016The director general of the National Commission on Science and Technology, Professor Errol Morrison, said that while the decriminalisation of marijuana in Jamaica is a good move, it is not enough. Wh ...
Read more... -
Jamaica dropped the mic on 4/20 and told the UN to get its act together on weed
Wednesday, 20 April 2016On 4/20, the unofficial holiday celebrated by marijuana enthusiasts around the world, Jamaica called for the UN to review the status of cannabis, questioning why the drug is still legally considered ...
Read more... -
The old global consensus on the war on drugs is crumbling
Saturday, 09 April 2016Once a decade, the United Nations organizes a meeting where every country in the world comes together to figure out what to do about drugs — and up to now, they've always pledged to wage a relentless ...
Read more... -
2015 the Year of Ganja in Jamaica
Friday, 29 January 2016The issue of ganja played very prominently in Jamaica 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 “g ...
Read more... -
14,000 fewer persons arrested on ganja charges since changes to law
Monday, 25 January 2016National Security Minister Peter Bunting says the police have arrested 14,000 fewer persons for possession of marijuana. The announcement comes months after the government enacted changes to the Dang ...
Read more... -
Canadian investors show interest in local ganja
Tuesday, 12 January 2016Following the lead of several US states in holding referendums which have been supportive of reducing the legal restraints on the use of the drug, Jamaica amended its Dangerous Drugs Act in April las ...
Read more... -
Govt urged to secure share of international ganja market
Sunday, 15 November 2015President of the Westmoreland Hemp and Ganja Farmers Association Ras Iyah is urging the Government of Jamaica to "align" with other countries to secure a slice of the international marijuana market. ...
Read more... -
Government awards third ganja research licence
Monday, 26 October 2015Canadian nutraceutical and pharmaceutical company, Timeless Herbal Care Limited (THC), which has operations in Jamaica, is the first private entity to be granted a ganja research licence by the Gover ...
Read more... -
Ganja ready for the big times
Thursday, 17 September 2015Going by the announcement by Canada-based Timeless Herbal Care Limited (THC), Jamaica stands to benefit from a US$100-million deal to develop medical marijuana products here for the international mar ...
Read more... -
Ganja growers warned: GET 'LEGIT' TO GET IN IT!
Saturday, 22 August 2015Local ganja growers, particularly small farmers, in Jamaica are being urged to enter the formal market to benefit from the decriminalising of the product rather than seeking to operate in the undergr ...
Read more... -
The tragedy of the ganja policy
Saturday, 08 August 2015The amendment of the Dangerous Drugs Act 2015 in February has laid the foundation for the development of the policy framework governing a ganja industry in Jamaica. Key Ministries have to develop pol ...
Read more... -
None but ourselves can 'free' the weed
Saturday, 04 July 2015Traditional small ganja farmers in Jamaica, accustomed to clandestinely working their fields, will now have to adhere to strict regulations in order to supply research institutions that have been gra ...
Read more... -
Cultivating alternatives: Towards a regional cannabis model
Sunday, 14 June 2015
The decriminalization and regulation of cannabis has been occurring in many jurisdictions in the United States – but also closer to home and more significantly in Jamaica. While unable to directly co ...
Read more... -
Companies urged to review drug testing policies to fit with ganja reform
Monday, 08 June 2015Justice Minister Mark Golding is advising employers to review their drug-testing policies to fall in line with the new regulations that now govern the use of ganja in Jamaica. Some organisations rout ...
Read more... -
Ganja is our 'life blood' – western farmers
Monday, 01 June 2015With Science, Technology, Energy and Mining Minister Phillip Paulwell stating that Jamaica plans to become a world leader in exploiting the economic value of ganja, ganja stakeholders are of the view ...
Read more... -
Ganja law needs police support, says Golding
Saturday, 30 May 2015Minister of Justice Senator Mark Golding, says that the success of recent changes to the Dangerous Drugs Act, accommodating decriminalising possession of small amounts of ganja in Jamaica, will rely ...
Read more... -
Jamaica hoping to be world leader in medical marijuana
Friday, 15 May 2015The Government intends to make Jamaica a world leader on the medical uses of marijuana. Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining Phillip Paulwell said marijuana is one of the most researche ...
Read more... -
Revised ganja law fundamental and far reaching — Bunting
Sunday, 10 May 2015National Security Minister Bunting says amendments to the Dangerous Drugs Act, resulting in decriminalisation of specified quantities of ganja, are "most fundamental and far-reaching". He noted that ...
Read more... -
Minister Golding addresses UN Debate on international drug policy
Thursday, 07 May 2015Senator Mark Golding, minister of justice, participated in a plenary session with several UN member states at the United Nations in a High Level Thematic Debate on International Drug Policy in prepar ...
Read more... -
BSJ developing plan to ensure Jamaica's ganja is protected
Saturday, 02 May 2015The Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ), which was mandated to design a regulatory plan for the decriminalised ganja industry, has developed a 17-step scientific footprint proposal. According to the BS ...
Read more... -
Caribbean Drug Policy Dialogue 2015 San Juan (Puerto Rico)
Friday, 24 April 2015Focusing on the Caribbean region, the thirteenth Informal Drug Policy Dialogue in Latin America, was held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from 23-25 April 2015, at the initiative of TNI (Transnational Inst ...
Read more... -
US president cautions against hopes of ganja legalisation
Friday, 10 April 2015President Barack Obama cautioned persons who have hopes of marijuana being legalised, as he explained the difference between legalisation and decriminalisation. "We had some discussion with Caricom c ...
Read more... -
Canadian company to tap into Jamaica for medicinal cannabis supply
Saturday, 04 April 2015A Canadian company is seeking to tap into the Jamaican market for the supply of dried marijuana to the medicinal marijuana industry in Canada. Marketing director of FLOR, Raymond Grant, (the local ag ...
Read more... -
Governor General gives assent, 'Ganja law' now in effect
Monday, 30 March 2015Governor General Sir Patrick Allen has given his assent to the Bill amending the Dangerous Drugs Act, making possession of two or less ounces of ganja a ticketable offence. The House passed the Bill ...
Read more... -
Farmers encouraged to make use of ganja opportunities
Wednesday, 18 March 2015Small ganja farmers across the island are being encouraged to make use of the opportunities that will be available in the medicinal ganja industry. Science, Technology, Energy and Mining Minister, Ph ...
Read more... -
Jamaica to lead charge to change int'l treaties on marijuana
Tuesday, 17 March 2015Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Anthony Hylton, says Jamaica intends to lead a charge in the United Nations to effect changes to the international treaties concerning marijuana. The ai ...
Read more... -
Ganja decriminalisation: Three the hard way
Monday, 02 March 2015February 24, 2015 was an especially emotional day for three of the stalwarts who have fought for the decriminalisation of ganja. It was the day the House of Representatives joined the Senate in passi ...
Read more... -
Lowe wants public sector cooperation on ganja
Saturday, 28 February 2015Executive Chairman of Medicanja, Dr Henry Lowe, is urging a spirit of cooperation between government ministries and agencies involved in the development of Jamaica's ganja industry, following the pas ...
Read more... -
Caribbean leaders form marijuana commission
Thursday, 26 February 2015Just days after Jamaica became the first Caribbean nation to decriminalize small portions of pot, leaders of the Caribbean Community agreed on the composition of a commission to examine marijuana leg ...
Read more... -
Ganja law passed but awaits regulations
Wednesday, 25 February 2015The law effectively clears the way for the decriminalisation of two ounces of marijuana, making possession a ticketable offence. Under the amended law, the Rastafarian community will have the opportu ...
Read more... -
St Lucia Cannabis Movement commends Jamaica for passing 'Ganja Bill'
Wednesday, 25 February 2015Chairman of the Cannabis Movement of St Lucia, Andre De Caires, has welcomed Jamaica's decision to give the green light to the so-called Ganja Bill, but chided authorities in St Lucia for dragging th ...
Read more... -
Ganja law gets green light
Tuesday, 24 February 2015The much anticipated amendment to the Dangerous Drugs Act, often referred to as the ganja law, has been passed in the House of Representatives of Jamaica. The Minister of National Security, Peter Bun ...
Read more... -
'Misperception is very dangerous'
Monday, 16 February 2015Executive director of the National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA), Michael Tucker, has warned that the misinformation circulating among Jamaicans about marijuana could be dangerous. Tucker is quite con ...
Read more... -
Senate passes ganja law
Friday, 06 February 2015The Senate debated for nearly five hours about the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act, 2015, which was later passed with five amendments. The legislation makes the possession of two ounces, or less, of ...
Read more... -
Ganja interests wary of internal business rivalry
Saturday, 31 January 2015Despite strong ministerial and legislative signals, segments of the marijuana lobby are unsure that sufficient protections will be afforded to the persons who currently supply the raw material. The c ...
Read more... -
US official cautions Jamaica on ganja legalisation
Thursday, 29 January 2015The U.S. Government has signalled discomfort with Jamaica's move to decriminalise marijuana for specific uses. According to assistant secretary, William Brownfield, there is a possibility that the mo ...
Read more... -
Pro-ganja lobby endorses changes on eve of Senate debate
Wednesday, 28 January 2015Professor Archibald McDonald called on the Jamaican Government to continue with the reforms and disregard apparent threats from US Government official William Brownfield cautioning the Government aga ...
Read more... -
Jamaica poised to relax cannabis laws
Thursday, 22 January 2015The cabinet has approved a bill that would decriminalise possession of small amounts of cannabis and pave the way for a legal medical marijuana industry in Jamaica. Justice minister Mark Golding said ...
Read more... -
US vote refuels ganja debate
Thursday, 06 November 2014The local pro-ganja lobby in Jamaica is welcoming the vote for the legalisation of ganja in the American states of Oregon, Alaska, and Washington DC. "One of the biggest stumbling blocks has been the ...
Read more... -
Cabinet approves changes to ganja law
Tuesday, 30 September 2014Accepting that aspects of the Dangerous Drugs Act prohibit Jamaica from enjoying the economic benefits of medical marijuana and industrial hemp, the Government has made a number of changes to the act ...
Read more... -
Law to be amended to facilitate medical ganja industry
Monday, 29 September 2014The Government of Jamaica has drafted legislation to amend the Dangerous Drugs Act as it moves to establish medical ganja and industrial hemp industries, where the cultivation and other activities in ...
Read more... -
In Jamaica, Rastas ready for pot decriminalization
Friday, 12 September 2014Jamaica is known internationally for its marijuana, where its use is culturally entrenched despite being legally banned for 100 years. Previous moves to decriminalize the drug failed to advance becau ...
Read more... -
Nonsense to arrest for a spliff
Monday, 11 August 2014The attorney general, Patrick Atkinson, must move with dispatch to determine, as the justice minister, Mark Golding, suggests, whether the police can proceed by issuing summonses to, rather than arre ...
Read more... -
Ganja growers demand amnesty on weed arrests
Saturday, 09 August 2014A call has been made for the government to declare an amnesty on all arrests for the possession of under one pound of marijuana. The plea from the Ganja Future Growers Producers Association was made ...
Read more... -
Caricom creates commission to study legalization of medical marijuana
Wednesday, 02 July 2014The Caribbean trade bloc Caricom has created a commission to study whether the region's roughly 15 million people should be allowed to use medical marijuana and how courts should handle possession of ...
Read more... -
Golding tables ganja Bill in Senate
Saturday, 28 June 2014Minister of Justice, Senator Mark Golding, tabled the much-anticipated Bill proposing the automatic expungement of convictions for certain minor ganja-related offences in the Senate. The Bill, offici ...
Read more... -
A half-smoked joint
Friday, 27 June 2014Decriminalisation is only half the answer. As long as supplying drugs remains illegal, the business will remain a criminal monopoly. Jamaica’s gangsters will continue to enjoy total control over the ...
Read more... -
CARICOM did not consult us on ganja law reform - US
Wednesday, 25 June 2014William Brownfield, assistant secretary at the US Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, has charged that Jamaica and other Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states that ar ...
Read more... -
The difference between legalisation and decriminalisation
Tuesday, 17 June 2014The war on cannabis seems to be slowly burning out. On June 12th Jamaica announced that it plans to decriminalise possession of small amounts of the drug. Several countries, including Mexico and Port ...
Read more...
