Morris Cargill

THE RECENT promotion of hemp or ganja beer is an outstandingly brilliant bit of salesmanship. It has everything. It's trendy. The beer is said to be made from hemp and there is even a picture of a ganja plant on the label.

Young people especially, not only in Jamaica, but in many other countries will flock to buy and drink it under the impression that they are able legally to flout the ban against ganja. No doubt as they drink it in quantity and get slightly tight they will feel that they are being affected by the psychedelic properties of ganja. It is indeed a remarkable commercial coup.

It is, of course, a lot of nonsense. The beer is still made from hops, but is reputed to contain a small amount of hemp of a variety which contains none of the psychedelic substance of ganja. Its function is solely a promotional function. As far as I can make out the beer itself has no quality advantages over our familiar Red Stripe. Nonetheless the promotion and immediate popularity of the so-called hemp beer will be a great help to those who have long been advocating the advantages of hemp. Quite apart from the use of one kind of hempen variety for ganja the hemp plant is potentially of great use for a number of other commercial purposes. The growing of it on a large scale for those purposes would be a considerable addition to our economy.

Perhaps the success of the hemp beer and its wide consumption will help to loosen up many unreasonable inhibitions against the commercial uses of the plant.

Treasure trove

The search for gold and treasure has always created many conflicts and confusions. Recently Mr. Ainsley Henriques, the chairman of the Jamaican National Heritage Trust and Mr. Deryck Roberts, a director, have resigned from the Trust. It was an established policy of the Trust that there should be no commercial exploitation of shipwrecks in Jamaican waters. This policy has been breached by the Jamaican Government's granting of a salvaging licence to the Atlanta-based Admiralty Corporation. Moreover the Government breached the policy without notice and in a sneaky way overnight.

There is a large body of international law concerning treasure trove, but quite apart from this certain moral issues are involved. When a large Spanish galleon obligingly sank in waters near to the Pedro Banks, it was reputedly carrying a large quantity of gold from Latin America to Spain. Certainly the Spanish have no moral claim to that, for the gold must have been in any event stolen from the Amerindians. And when the galleon sank, those waters at the time belonged to the English. It now belongs to us, but alas, as has happened to so many things, we've been sitting down and doing nothing about it. It reminds one of bauxite. We sat down on that for generations until Reynolds came along and exploited it, partly for itself and to some extent for us.

It is said, though I don't know the truth of it, that the gold in the sunken galleon is worth today about $300 million. Compared with the losses chalked up by our financial sector that is of course chicken feed. If it is found we shall have to split it half and half with the Admiralty Corporation, so there is not much in it one way or the other for us.

But the artefacts that will probably be discovered would be of great importance to the Jamaica National Heritage Trust and to us. The question is that if any are discovered, how do we get our fair share? I cannot visualise the Contractor-General descending into the depths with the divers to make an inventory even though that admirable man has proven to be intrepid. So, I suppose we would have to rely upon the Admiralty Corporation for our share of the booty if any booty exists.

I find it hard to believe, given the well known capacity of Jamaicans for thievery, that any great wealth could have been sitting down off our shores for 300 years without being stolen. If it has not been, then at least we know that the best way of protecting our property is to sink it 400 feet or so beneath the surface of the ocean.

A terrible tragedy

In logic and reason all murders are equally horrible. Yet in some cases where the emotions are involved, a logical view is not possible. For that reason the brutal murder of Rose Leon, a woman known and respected for years by the writer of this column, is a matter beyond the reach of any reasonable comment.

I wish to say only that Jamaica is fast becoming a country in which it will be impossible for civilised and decent people to live.