‘Studies needed on medical marijuana’ – VIP Top Brass
A caller to last evening’s March 18, 2015 VIP Let’s Talk on ZBVI 780 AM wanted to know what was the party’s take on the legalisation of marijuana given all that is happening in many countries of the world, including some states in the United States of America.
In response to the question, Honourable Fraser said, “I don’t think this is something that we have considered. We have to [be mindful] of our major trading partners on issues such as that.”
He said too that there are the churches which will have their own views on the issue and this is something that cannot be ignored. But he noted that studies must be done to guide decisions on such an issue in the future.
Senior member of the VIP, Honourable Andrew A. Fahie (R1) said that the time is coming for discussions not with regard to lighting up and smoking for recreation but for examining its medicinal qualities.
“If you look at the research in terms of the medical uses of it then there are some areas where we need to start discussions on,” said Fahie.
“It is something at the end of the day that will be discussed just like alcohol and cigarettes were discussed. And at those times they were very sensitive topics to discuss. But the medical uses for it are something that you cannot shy away from…it is something that you’re going to have high level discussions on in the very near future,” he said.
Radio talk show host Douglas Wheatley, among others, has often called for discussions on the issue of the decriminalising of marijuana.
Decriminilisation of marijuana
In January 2015, the Jamaican cabinet approved a bill that legalises the possession of small amounts of marijuana.
It meant that for the first time the country's Rastafarian community, which uses the herb for religious purposes, could be able to smoke it legally.
The bill had also envisaged a licensing authority for the cultivation, sale and distribution of marijuana for medical and therapeutic purposes.
The bill had also proposed that the smoking of marijuana would be banned in public spaces.
After several hours of debate, legislators in the lower house in Jamaica on Tuesday February 24, 2015 gave final passage to drug law amendments that make possession of up to 2oz (56.6g) of marijuana a petty offence that would not result in a criminal record. Cultivation of five or fewer plants on any premises would be permitted in Jamaica, where the drug has long been culturally entrenched but illegal.
Rastafarians can also legally use marijuana for religious purposes for the first time on the island where the spiritual movement was founded in the 1930s. Tourists prescribed medical marijuana abroad will be able to apply for permits at a cost authorising them to legally buy small amounts of “ganja”, as it is known locally.
The drug fight
South and Central America and the Caribbean countries have been battling the impact of drug trafficking and drug use for decades.
Cocaine and marijuana produced in the region is transported through many countries, their citizens turned into consumers by the trade.
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28 Responses to “‘Studies needed on medical marijuana’ – VIP Top Brass”
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