News
Jamaica decriminalizes possession of small amounts of Marijuana
Jamaican officials now have high hopes that the country can become a player in the nascent medical marijuana industry, health tourism and the development of innovative pot-derived items. Local scientists already have a history of creating marijuana-derived products, such as “Canasol,” which helps relieve pressure in the eyes of glaucoma patients.
Commerce Minister Anthony Hylton said the cannabis industry holds “great potential” for Jamaica, where marijuana has long been grown illegally on mountainsides and marshes.
The move by Jamaican lawmakers adds to an international trend of easing restrictions on marijuana for medical or personal use. More than 20 U.S. states allow some form of medical marijuana and last year Colorado and Washington legalized personal use. On Tuesday, Alaska became the third U.S. state to legalize the recreational use of marijuana for adults.
In the Americas, Uruguay last year became the first nation to create a legal marijuana market. Other countries in the region have made less-bold moves similar to what Jamaica has done. In Argentina, personal possession of marijuana was decriminalized under a 2009 Supreme Court ruling that jail time for small amounts of drugs violates the country’s constitution. A law in Chile permits use of medical marijuana.
Details of Jamaica’s licensing authority and its hoped-for medical marijuana sector will need to be refined in coming months. But for now, Jamaican cannabis crusaders applauded the amendments.
“This is a big step in the right direction, but there’s still a lot of work to do,” said Delano Seiveright, director of the Cannabis Commercial and Medicinal Taskforce.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press
