Ministry studying ganja commission proposals

THE MINISTRY of Foreign Affairs, is currently combing through Jamaica's international treaty obligations to determine if government's acceptance of the recommendations of the National Commission on Ganja to decriminalise the weed for personal, private use might cause a conflict with previously stated commitments.

Director of Information at the Ministry, Wilton Dyer told The Gleaner that since the release of the Commission's report last week and a subsequent response from the United States Embassy, the Ministry has been studying the matter more carefully.

"We are reviewing the situation to see how it will impact on our obligations and bilateral relations," he said. "For example, have we entered a treaty which would preclude us from (decriminalising) ganja?"

Last week the United States Embassy said it was opposed to the lifting of sanctions for personal, private use of ganja and stated that it would be considering Jamaica's adherence to its commitments under the annual narcotics review.

"The US administration opposes the decriminalisation of marijuana use," US Embassy spokesman Michael Koplovsky said in a statement to the media. "The US will consider Jamaica's adherence to its commitment under the 1998 UN Drug Convention when making determination under the annual narcotics certification review."

This means that Jamaica, the largest grower and exporter of ganja in the Caribbean, could be denied certification from the US as a country making efforts to fight illegal drugs in accordance with the UN Drug Convention.

Any country which does not receive certification, loses most of its foreign assistance from the US, who also votes against that country getting any assistance from major lending agencies, including the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

But, while the Ministry continues to check its treaty obligation, Mr. Dyer revealed that the US has not officially notified the Government about their concerns. "All we have are media reports," he said.

One of the recommendations of the Ganja Commission was that urgent diplomatic initiatives be undertaken by Jamaica to get support from other countries on decriminalisation.

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