cannabisnews.com: Jamaica: Lawmakers Consider Decriminalizing Pot Jamaica: Lawmakers Consider Decriminalizing Pot Posted by FoM on July 30, 1999 at 09:49:53 PT NORML's Weekly Update News Source: NORML July 29, 1999, Kingston, Jamaica: The Jamaican Senate is considering legislation that would make the possession of small amounts of marijuana a non-criminal offense and establish a research center to study the drug's medical potential. "It cannot be right and it cannot be just to continue to criticize Jamaicans for private, personal use of [marijuana,] while more toxic substances, namely alcohol and cigarettes, used in public in excessive quantities attract no criminal sanction," said Sen. Trevor Munroe (Independent), who is backing both measures. A Joint Select Committee of Parliament first recommended Jamaica decriminalize marijuana in 1977. That committee also endorsed allowing doctors to legally prescribe marijuana. Parliament failed to enact either recommendation. Senator Munroe's motion would establish a similar government committee to study the marijuana issue.For more information, please contact:Allen St. Pierre of The NORML Foundation (202) 483-8751. http://www.norml.org/news/index.shtml#story4Jamaican Senate Debate Creating MJ Commission - 7/23/99http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread2182.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #4 posted by observer on December 21, 2000 at 19:14:21 PT re: marijuana Why should marijuana be legal, other than for medicinal purposes? Whew! Well, I'm glad that you and I both believe that for medicinal purposes, marijuana should be legal.And, after all: what does it really mean for marijuana not to be legal for sick people? It means that the government (the police part of government, of course), if it catches a sick person using marijuana, can put them in jail. And I agree that's bad. Everyone says it's up to people to make their own decisions, I would agree ... up to a point. I don't think that children (young'uns under the age of 18) can make their own decisions about everything. (Then again, there's only so many decisions that we can prevent them from making. We may forbid a child to run his bicycle into a tree, but by golly if he really wants to, he can do it when we aren't looking.) But parents are responsible for children's decisions for a very large part.(Another whole class of undesirable decisions involve the tresspass of another's property or rights, which I'm sure we can both agree is wrong.) but there are people who are not educated enough to do so. Again, I would agree: for children, for example. But their parents, and adults in general, I think, should be given the responsibility for their own decisions. Just as for things like bungee jumping and skydiving. For example, I sure don't want my kids skydiving! But when they're 18, despite my best advice about skydiving (don't do it! addictive! expensive! etc.), they do it anyway I will still love them. (I'll be upset if they try to force skydiving on me, or livid and snitching if they rob the local Circle-K for parachute 'n plane money!) But just because I think that skydiving might be ill-advised, doesn't mean that I think people should be jailed for it, even though people are killed each year skydiving. (You could take it further: Q: Does the government 'send out the wrong message to the children' about skydiving? A: No. Q: Are we saying "it's ok to skydive" by "allowing" "legalized" skydiving now? A: No. Q: But many people die each year from legalized skydiving: wouldn't we save lives by not being permissive, and allowing legalized skydiving? A: Who cares? We allows adults to skydive, or race cars or play football: each of which causes many injuries and deaths each year, often from people not well enough instructed in various aspects of their pastime, not because we like injuries and accidents, but because we value freedom.) Legalizing marijuana just invites tons more people to get addicted, That might be true if illegalized marijuana kept people from it. But alas, making cannabis (and other things) illegal seemed to have made it more popular than otherwise. You might want to check out the history of how and why marijuana was made illegal in this country in the 20th century (1937 federally).see:http://www.google.com/search?q=The+History+of+Marijuana+Prohibitionespecially:http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/hemp/history/history.htmNot a pretty picture! Of course, people were (in 1937) assured that marijuana would remain legal as a medicine (when they even realized that their traditional cannabis medicines were going to be considered "marijuana", which was rare). and that's not a problem we need. I would agree that we certainly don't need any more problems! When you look at places that have made it legal, like Holland, you have to wonder: it turns out their kids use a lot less marijuana than ours do. So, you have to ask what effect the harsh laws here -- designed (we're told) to keep drugs from kids -- have really done. The Swiss are also making marijuana legal, and the Belgians now too (quietly). It makes sense, also, I think: the government doesn't have a chance to control something when it makes it illegal; you and I may not want anybody to use marijuana, but at least if you make it available for adults (under strict conditions, as for hard liquor), then you can have a chance to keep it from the kids. Nothing's perfect. Oh well, just a few thoughts off the top of my head. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by liz on December 21, 2000 at 18:21:43 PT: marijuana Why should marijuana be legal, other than for medicinal purposes? Everyone says it's up to people to make their own decisions, but there are people who are not educated enough to do so. Legalizing marijuana just invites tons more people to get addicted, and that's not a problem we need. Cannabis News [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Tracy on June 11, 2000 at 07:03:38 PT: not a problem I don't think that marijuana should be illegal any where. As far as I'm concerned, as long as the people are informed with the side effects of it, then it's up to their descretion if they want to use it or not. It's a personal choice. If marijuana is illegal, then why aren't ciggarettes? Ciggarettes and alchohal have been known to cause more problems then the weeds. I think that if it is chosen to be illegal, it should be illegal in the sense that people shouldn't drive while high and things like that, that would put people's lives in danger. I don't see any harm in it at all. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Adrian Everett on April 27, 2000 at 20:08:04 PT: Legalise and decriminalize Marijuana Jamaica would have a superior financial status quo if marijuana was de-criminalized 200% for all purposes. Not just for personal use but for all uses. Import and Export would be at 200% or higher (no pun intended). Granted there would be a problem with tourists smuggling Marijuana back to the United States where it is criminal. I have tried some of the smuggled Jamaica Red Hair and it is good smoking weed. So if one day I ever get cown to Jamaica I want try some more. I want to smoke am ounce of Red Hair Weed till I am zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. 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