Legalising ganja
published: Tuesday | May 24, 2005

THE EDITOR, Sir:

KUDOS TO The Gleaner for its series on the debate about ganja. It reported on the rational examination by the National Commission on Ganja of the risks associated with the moderate use of ganja and the commission's support for decriminalising its use by adults ('Ganja is not entirely safe', on May 18).

As noted by the National Commission on Ganja and others, cannabis' relative risks to the user, most of which may be mitigated by consuming it in ways other than smoking, do not support the practice of criminalising those adults who possess and use ganja in small quantities. In addition, the consequences of a criminal conviction for the simple possession of a minor amount of cannabis for personal use are disproportionate to any potential harms associated with the behaviour.

Despite criminally prohibiting the use of ganja in 1941, tens of thousands of Jamaicans self-identify as having used cannabis at some point in their lives, and relatively few acknowledge having suffered deleterious health effects due to their use. It's high time Parliament moves forward to enact the National Commission on Ganja's recommendations, so that Jamaica's public policies on ganja reflect this reality, not deny it.

I am, etc.,

PAUL ARMENTANO

paul@norml.org

Senior policy analyst

NORML Foundation

Washington, D.C.