Cannabis News The November Coalition
  Conscience Vote Expected on Ganja
Posted by FoM on August 19, 2001 at 13:47:54 PT
By Claudienne Edwards, Observer Staff Reporter 
Source: Jamaica Observer 

cannabis Members of parliament will be free to vote their consciences on the recommendation to decriminalise ganja when the matter comes up for debate in Parliament in September, an aide to Prime Minister P J Patterson said last week.

Majority House leader, Peter Phillips, could not be reached for comment, but the Patterson aide said the party whip would not force MPs to follow the party line in the debate expected to take place in the House and the Senate before a decision is made on whether to accept the recommendation.

Meanwhile, spokesman on foreign affairs for the Oppostion and Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) leader in the Senate, Oswald Harding, said that the report would have to be studied and discussed by the JLP ahead of the debate. He said that he had not yet seen the report but did not think that "it ought to be thrown out of hand".

He said that Jamaica's obligations under international treaties as well as delicate international relations with the US on the issue would have to be taken into consideration.

The commission, headed by UWI professor, Barry Chevannes, recommended last week that the government should decriminalise ganja for personal private use and for use as a religious sacrament. In addition, it recommended that the government begin an intense education campaign to reduce demand for the drug especially among young people, and also seek diplomatic support for its position and to help change the focus of the ganja debate internationally. It also recommended that further research be done into the medical benefits of the herb.

Chevannes said that he would be fully supportive of a conscience vote on the issue, and that he believed it was Prime Minister P J Patterson's "intent to get a conscience vote", when it is debated.

Already, the American government has indicated its displeasure at the prospect of decriminalisation of the drug, and the Kingston embassy issued a statement on Thursday saying that the US government would "consider Jamaica's adherence to its commitments under the UN drug convention when making its determination under the annual narcotics certification review". The statement was widely interpreted by the media as a threat, but on Friday Jamaica's foreign ministry said too much was being read into the statement.

"If the US government had concerns about the Ganja Commission report they would come in and talk to us about it," said permanent secretary, Stafford Neil.

"The government hasn't yet decided whether its accepting or rejecting the recommendations. The report has been released and they are to decide at some point. They may decide not to or to accept and will then make the necessary legislative amendment," Neil said.

The JLP's Harding said that Jamaica's obligations under international treaties as well as delicate international relations with the US on the issue would have to be taken into consideration in any decision on the issue.

Senator Alfred Rattray said that the Commission's recommendation for limited decriminalisation was in line with what was happening in the rest of the world.

Rattray recalled a speech he had made to the Senate on October 13, 1989 in which he pointed out that if the profit was taken out of the drug trade the trade would die.

Mike Henry, JLP Member of Parliament for Central Clarendon commended the committee on its work.

Henry called for all drugs to be placed under a health administration, which would make it easier for the country to deal with the "fundamental problems".

"Drugs must be considered to be legalised in their use from the age of 21 upwards. All drugs must be placed in a similar context to alcohol," he said.

PATTERSON... will not expect MPs to follow the party line.
HARDING... report ought not to be dismissed out-of-hand.
HENRY... Drugs must be legalised for use from age 21 upwards.
RATTRAY... decriminalisation is in line with world trends.

Source: Jamaica Observer (Jamaica)
Author: Claudienne Edwards, Observer Staff Reporter
Published: Sunday, August 19, 2001
Copyright: 2001 The Jamaica Observer Ltd.
Website: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com
Contact: editorial@jamaicaobserver.com

Related Articles:

Jamaica Should OK Marijuana, Group Urges
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10658.shtml

NCDA, MAJ Supports Ganja Decriminalisation
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10650.shtml

US Backlash Against Ganja
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10640.shtml

CannabisNews Articles - Jamaica
http://cannabisnews.com/thcgi/search.pl?K=Jamaica


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Comment #7 posted by The GCW on August 19, 2001 at 17:14:25 PT
Hemp hat eating,
I like it.

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #6 posted by Patrick on August 19, 2001 at 16:05:53 PT
Yo Anonymous
Just in case they do leagalize it there?

Put me on the list to view the video of you eating your hat on pot-tv.com! Make it a hemp hat too!

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #5 posted by The GCW on August 19, 2001 at 15:36:36 PT
Blackmail, isn't it?
The statement (U.S. style)was widely interpreted by the media as a threat,

and it's the same situation for Canada w/ blackmail over the Liberty they seek to use cannabis as a plant. And what about that Fox guy in Mexico talking like it is Americas problem w/ reality?

Is America spreading itself too thin?

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #4 posted by Sam Adams on August 19, 2001 at 15:32:46 PT
"I'll advertise it........"

I suggest the next time "4:20" rolls around, we all burn one for the late Peter Tosh.

The only sad note to Jamaica legalizing is that Peter Tosh isn't around to see it. A militant to the core, he was one of the first to make "legalizing it" his crusade, how many other recording stars do that? He was once rounded up and beaten senseless by the Jamaican cops - the arresting offense? Posession of half a joint.

It looks like Jamaica is taking one big step toward "equal rights and justice".

I think the political angle is fascinating....it's like the rest of world waited till Clinton left to see if the next president would change policy. The next president went in the opposite direction. Everybody else said, "Oh well, no sense waiting for them anymore. F**k it!" Kicked us off the UN council and that was it, they're taking the Berlin Wall down without us.


[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #3 posted by Anonymous on August 19, 2001 at 15:27:05 PT
Blah blah blah...
If Jamaica legalizes, I'll eat my hat. DEAland is going to down HARD on the Jamaican government between now and the vote in the fall. Its not like Jamaica has any real economic leverage with the U.S. like, say, China, where they can torture political dissidents and still maintain Most Favored Nation trading status. Trust me, it ain't gonna happen.

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #2 posted by natural_mystic on August 19, 2001 at 15:08:15 PT
International Debate
"... and also seek diplomatic support for its position and to help change the focus of the ganja debate internationally."

It's only a matter of time before the flimsy contraption that is prohibition falls to pieces world wide. Hopefully Jamaica will start the domino effect on this side of the pond. This would be very fitting.

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #1 posted by PoisonedFor4YrsSoFar on August 19, 2001 at 14:15:52 PT
first nationwide decrim in western hemishpere!
Who will be second?

[ Post Comment ]

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