CARICOM leaders have agreed to the establishment of a Commission to further the debate on the decriminalisation of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
CARICOM Secretary-General, Irwin La Rocque, told reporters attending the CARICOM Heads of Government Conference in Antigua and Barbuda on Thursday that, while the composition of the Commission is yet to be determined it will most likely be made up of experts.
He said the objective of the Commission is to conduct an inquiry into the social, economic, health and legal issues surrounding marijuana use in the Caribbean.
Jamaica
In 2000, the Government of Jamaica established its own National Commission on Ganja, chaired by Professor Barry Chevannes. That body, after nine months of consultations, presented its findings and recommendations in August, 2011.
The Chevannes Commission recommended, among other things, “the decriminalisation of ganja for personal, private use by adults and for use as a sacrament for religious purposes.”
It recommended further that “a Cannabis Research Agency be set up, in collaboration with other countries, to coordinate research into all aspects of cannabis, including its epidemiological and psychological effects, and importantly as well its pharmacological and economic potential, such as is being done by many other countries, not least including some of the most vigorous in its suppression.”
On June 12, 2014, thirteen years after the Chevannes Commission completed its work, Justice Minister Mark Golding announced a number of changes to the country’s highly restrictive anti-ganja regime, including the decriminalisation of possession of small quantities of the substance. Posseesion of ganja (canabis, marijuana) for religious or medicinal uses and scientific research by approved institutions will be allowed, he explained.
A week later it was also announced that Senator Golding would chair an inter-Ministerial sub-committee established to craft a legal framework for the development of medical ganja and industrial hemp industries in Jamaica.
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Ganja Commission to be established by CARICOM
