THE EDITOR, Sir:
I RESPOND to your 'letter of the day' of Friday, February 20, 2004, by Mr. Norman Heywood of Portmore, St. Catherine, regarding decriminalisation of ganja, seeking to correct specific inaccuracies in his letter, as well as welcome decriminalisation in small quantities for personal, private use in Jamaica.
(1) His claim of 'total decriminalisation of ganja' is inaccurate. My understanding is that decriminalisation is for personal use in private, public use being banned and sanctioned by law. Indeed, steps are now being taken to ban all smoking in public places by the Government, and this is quite commendable;
(2) His claim that the ongoing debate is 'one-sided' is also inaccurate. The present state of the debate is the result of years of consultations that actually began in the 1970s and has culminated with the latest report by professor Barry Chevannes in The Ganja Commission. I politely encourage Mr. Heywood to fully investigate the progress of the matter up to the present. Indeed, The Ganja Commission had islandwide consultations, and the final report is based on consensus;
(3) His claim that the parliamentary select committee is "Hell bent on unleashing a cloud of ganja smoke over Jamaica so thick everyone will be high everyday" is quite absurd. The fact is that ganja smoking has been a part of Jamaican life for hundreds of years since it was first introduced into Jamaica by indentured Indian labourers during the apprenticeship period, and has become an accepted part of life in Jamaica. Hence, the present attempt at decriminalisation is a culmination of decades of analysis based on the Jamaican context;
(4) If one cannot 'light-up their spliffs in their backward, frontyard or verandah', then where else can one do so?
EDUCATE THE YOUNG
Finally, I wish to welcome the 'freeing up' of small quantities of ganja for personal, private use in Jamaica, and commend the Government for its courage and good sense. What is needed now is a comprehensive education programme to highlight the negatives and positives of ganja use, as well as envisage the potential for the development of a 'ganja industry'.
This can be facilitated by further study and research to develop 'high quality products' and by-products that could significantly boost domestic economic output and performance, as well as enhance exports. Tremendous opportunities exist in the areas of medicine, aromatic and other oils, clothing, fabrics and paper, to name a few.
I am, etc.,
KANUTE WILLIAMS
Kings House Avenue
Kingston 6
