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| Jamaica Leader Backs Idea of Decriminalizing Ganja |
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Posted by FoM on August 27, 2001 at 18:11:50 PT By Reuters Source: Reuters 
Jamaican Prime Minister Percival Patterson said on Monday that he found ``persuasive'' arguments for decriminalizing the private use of ganja, the local term for marijuana, or cannabis. A commission of inquiry in Jamaica has recommended decriminalizing ganja for private use by adults, for medicinal purposes or as a religious sacrament. Patterson, who is on a private visit to Washington, told reporters he wanted parliament to discuss the commission's report in the autumn and the government would then recommend whatever legislative amendments were needed. Asked what he thought of the report, he said, ``I find the recommendations of the report persuasive.'' ``I want to make it absolutely clear that we are not considering legalizing in the sense of making it legal for people to grow, to sell, to export. It is for private use, and, of course, it will have to be confined to adults,'' he added. Patterson said that as part of a decriminalization process, Jamaica would have to take some diplomatic steps because of international treaties and agreements it had signed. ``That process we intend to begin shortly,'' he said. The United States, the main source of visitors for Jamaica's tourism industry, would see decriminalization as incompatible with a 1988 U.N. convention on drugs, and such a step could affect Jamaica's status under the annual certification process that Washington conducts, a U.S. official said. ``Our view is that decriminalization is not in keeping with the 1988 U.N. Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, of which Jamaica is a signatory,'' a State Department official said. ``The U.N. convention is our road map for international cooperation, and decriminalization would be seen as backsliding. This would factor into the president's decision for certification,'' added the official, who asked not to be named. Countries that fail to obtain certification they are cooperating against drugs are ineligible for U.S. financial aid, except for anti-drug and humanitarian programs. Patterson said Washington had not conveyed to Jamaica any formal views on the decriminalization proposals. He said the tourism industry in Jamaica had suffered in the short term from unrest in early July, when 25 people were killed in clashes between security forces and residents in the western neighborhoods of the capital, Kingston. ``But we feel pretty confident that we will be able to overcome it (the decline in visitors) in the medium and long term,'' Patterson added. Source: Reuters Related Articles: The Marijuana Prohibition NCDA, MAJ Supports Ganja Decriminalisation US Backlash Against Ganja Decriminalise it, Says Ganja Commission Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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| Comment #5 posted by Wolfie on August 28, 2001 at 03:34:06 PT |
| ... of having a petulant child such as George W. Bush as President, is that the rest of world is now realizing that treaties aren't worth the paper they're printed on. After whizzing all over the '72 ABM treaty, Europe and other nations will feel free to similarly "re-write" the '88 Single Convention on Narcotics. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #4 posted by Galileo on August 27, 2001 at 20:42:31 PT |
| Visit the link below and read about the crime that I commited. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #3 posted by Kickaha on August 27, 2001 at 19:05:20 PT |
| Jamaica will withdraw from the Single Convention Treaty at a time that is convenient for Jamaica! [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #2 posted by MikeEEEEE on August 27, 2001 at 18:56:36 PT |
| decriminalization as incompatible with a 1988 U.N. convention on drugs, and such a step could affect Jamaica's status under the annual certification process that Washington conducts, a U.S. official said. The US is breaking the anti-missle treaty, ignoring the global warming treaty, and not attending the racism conference; just to name a few policy failures. Hey!, super powers play by different rules, their own self-centered agendas. Countries that fail to obtain certification they are cooperating against drugs are ineligible for U.S. financial aid, except for anti-drug and humanitarian programs. Gingo money as long as they play by the US code book. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by FoM on August 27, 2001 at 18:19:58 PT |
| Drug Reform 'Not Limited by Treaties' By a Correspondent Source: Times, The (UK) Drugscope The claim that drug laws could not be reformed without breaching international treaties was challenged yesterday by a leading drugs charity. The Government could easily abolish imprisonment for drug possession and replace it with fines or other civil punishments, said Drugscope in a report European Drugs Laws: The Room for Manoeuvre. Small-scale drug suppliers could also be dealt with by civil measures, it said. The report said that in the UK possession of drugs carries a maximum of seven years in jail. In The Netherlands possession is not punished. In Italy it is not a criminal offence, and is dealt with by civil penalties. In Spain possession is punished by a fine. “For many years a major impediment to drug reform has been the belief that UN conventions restrict change,” said Roger Howard, the charity’s chief executive. “This study dispels the view. The Government needs to decide if allowing otherwise law-abiding citizens to get caught up in the criminal justice system for possessing drugs such as cannabis is a proportionate response.” [ Post Comment ] |
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