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“EXCELLENCE THROUGH KNOWLEDGE” P A G E 119 Editor’s Note: As the “Ganja debate” continued in the Jamaica, Mr. Alfred McPherson of UTech, Jamaica’s Faculty of Law weighed in on it in the article below which was published in The Sunday Gleaner, on May 15, 2015. Deciphering Decriminalisation of Weed It appears to be fair comment from a legal, and I dare say, from the social and economic perspectives, that the decriminalisation of ganja in Jamaica has been long in coming. The cultivation, selling and consumption of cannabis (ganja), as well as other drugs, have been illegal in Jamaica since 1913. Despite this illegality, a 2001 study by the National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA) on the use of ganja in Jamaica disclosed that more than half the population had tried this prohibited substance in one form or the other. It is very likely that a current study/survey might disclose that this number has increased appreciably rather than diminished. The decriminalisation of ganja is not a new agenda item that has eventually culminated in the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act, 2015. As far back as 1977, the government of the day established a joint select committee commissioned with the mandate to “consider the criminality, legislation, uses and abuses, and possible medical properties of ganja and to make appropriate recommendations. Whereas this committee overwhelmingly rejected the notion of legalising ganja, their position mainly might have been as a result of the terms of the 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, to which Jamaica is a signatory. Despite the 1977 joint committee’s recognition of the constraints in terms of adherence by Jamaica to the specific Articles of the Convention, this group was bold enough to recommend some 38 years ago that ganja should be decriminalised in the following circumstances: • Personal, private use by adults. • Use as sacrament for religious purposes. • Possession of up to 2 ounces for personal consumption in a private setting. • Use for medical purposes. Published: The Gleaner, Saturday | March 14, 2015