The number one earner of foreign exchange in Jamaica is tourism. Likewise our number one agricultural produce is Marijuana, “Mary J”, “Ganja”, “Pot” depending on where you light up your, “Bong”, “Chalice”, or “Spliff”. Now given its potential as a foreign exchange earner and its widespread usage locally, it is mystifying to some why “Herb” is still illegal. Let us take the argument further and examine the pros and cons of “The legalization of Marijuana in Jamaica”.
Pros:
1. The re-focus of much needed man-power and resources from a failed eradication exercise to more pressing areas like child molestation, murder and corruption.
2. Removal of decades of oppression perpetrated against the Rastafarian Religion which utilizes “Herb” as a sacrament.
3. Addition of a new dimension to tourism “Come to Jamaica, get high”. Considering we are one hour and twenty minutes from Miami and famous for our “Weed”, Air-Jamaica might just become viable.
4. Removal of rebel status and making it a drug of the establishment, hereby reducing its attractiveness to youngsters.
5. Removing the burden of “Marijuana” related cases from the courts, so they can deal with more pressing and relevant matters.
6. Medical benefits
Cons:
1. US de-certification of Jamaica as a nation committed to the “War” against drugs resulting in reduced grants and aid to our hemorrhaging economy.
Considering the fact that I personally do not smoke, or sell “Ganja” and have nothing to gain personally from de-criminalization it astounds me that outside of political pressure from the USA there is no real reason why this drug is still illegal. Of course some people are going to argue, that if it becomes legal its usage would increase; I beg to differ as sitting here at my computer writing this article I can get a stick of weed a lot easier than I can get a good plate of “Run Dung”.
The people who want to smoke “Weed” are already weed smokers and its legal status will in no way affect their consumption of the drug.
Likewise the argument that it is going to “mad yuh” or cause other negative mental health effects, see the argument above. To be brutally honest we know that drug control is not about protecting a population as cigarettes and alcohol kill more people yearly than all illegal drugs combined and we are not being protected from those.
SUGGESTIONS:
Let us legalize “Marijuana”, if not for export at least for local consumption. Let us bring it out of hiding and impose taxation like any other commodity. Let us invite our North American counterparts to partake, let them smoke as much as they want here without the ability to “tek it wid dem” so they come back for repeat visits. Let us build up an industry around Marijuana (planting, curing, rolling, packaging) and create employment from a resource that we have naturally.
History can teach us many lessons and using the prohibition period in the USA as a textbook, we know that a government will never control a population’s drug use. Even after billions have been spent on drug campaigns in the US and here in Jamaica, the victory is still elusive. Drug usage has continued unabated. Let us stop wasting our resources and spend money on educating people about the possible effects of smoking “Weed”; let us de-criminalize “Marijuana” so we can better, measure, manage and monitor drug use. Let us, in the words of the late great Peter Tosh, “Legalise It”.
