THE EDITOR, Sir:
HASN'T DAWN Ritch, in her Sunday, July 9, Gleaner article offered us an interesting set of arguments for the decriminalisation, even legalisation, of ganja?
She calls for sensible regulation and we can certainly all agree on that, but hold on, gal! Look hard before you leap into a public love affair with ganja! You may soon discover yourself on a dangerous cliff overlooking a stormy sea, rather than moving on, 'running coolly,' down a good-walking path.
In truth, what most Jamaicans don't know about today's illegal ganja trade might surprise them. For that matter, the most any
of us really know about it is actually just hearsay at best, not to be trusted to give us more than the broadest picture of the basic facts.
Truly, before any serious moves are made toward decriminalisation, or even legalisation, of ganja, an honest and
deliberate study should be done
publicly, focusing on the current ganja trade, at least as far as that can be reasonably accomplished, what with the danger and
illegality that surrounds it.
REALISTIC UNDERSTANDING
Because any move in that direction would impact the local part of that trade, the Jamaican people should first have a realistic understanding of the forces arrayed against them so that they will have some idea how to deal with such forces, both on an individual and a collective basis. After all, isn't the very best reason for such regulation to reduce, or even end, the ruinous effects the trade has upon the economy, especially the human cost?
In that case, at least from what I've heard, the man at one end of that trade, in this case, the poor, small farmer out in the bush who is responsible for a few, or a few hundred, pounds, is almost always the least
compensated part of the entire enterprise. Ironically, it's the same in most agriculture-based industries around the world today.
If that's so, it's possible the only realistic way to end the
illegal trade might well be to give the grower an alternative market for his current crop, hopefully at a higher value, or to find a way for him to earn what he is making now by growing something else.
BENEFICIAL INGREDIENTS
Every effort should be made to use the plant's beneficial ingredients in ways other than smoking it, for example, in
the production of specialised medicines and the production of hemp clothing.
Moreover, because any move toward making sensible regulation concerning ganja should always be considerate of any other country's needs, one goal of such regulations would be to keep their effects as transparent as possible and internal to the island.
It can be done in many ways, but there should be no sudden flood of 'dope-smoking' hippies arriving for a great party, on the one hand, nor a great rush
to plant huge fields of ganja everywhere, with bush property values skyrocketing.
Nonsense and foolishness should be avoided at all costs!
I am, etc.,
ED McCOY
mmhobo48 @juno.com
Bokeelia, Florida
Via Go-Jamaica
