A politician is seeking to use ganja as a platform to reach the nation's Parliament.

Conrad Powell, a Kingston attorney-at-law running on the National Democratic Movement ticket to represent the South East St. Elizabeth constituency, has put ganja at the centre of his campaign for the constituency.

"My main platform is the legalisation of ganja, creation of factories to produce by-products from ganja, and the creation of hemp factories in South East St. Elizabeth," Powell says in a release.

"Research indicates that there is a large market for medical marijuana as well as pharmaceutical products made from ganja. Furthermore, there is a large market for industrial hemp used in rope materials and car production," he adds.

South East St. Elizabeth was won in the 2002 General Election by the People's National Party's (PNP) Ken Blake. The constituency, predominantly made up of farming communities, has four political divisions, Malvern, Myersville, Southfield and Junction. Powell says he is getting the support of farmers in the constituency.

Norman Horne is now contesting the seat for the PNP and Franklyn Witter for the Jamaica Labour Party. If Mr. Powell is successful at getting a few votes, he may turn out to be a spoiler in a seat that the PNP won by 82 votes in 2002.