(The Canadian Press) Sen. Dennis Meadows, a deputy general secretary of the Jamaica Labor Party, issued a statement on Saturday saying that relaxing laws against marijuana cigarettes – commonly referred to as “spliffs” – would free up the island’s courts and police to focus on violent street crime and harder drugs.
“What I am advocating is that ganja, at the level of spliffs for private use, be treated similarly to a traffic ticket,” Meadows said.
Previous efforts in Jamaica to legalize small amounts of marijuana have been scuttled because officials feared they would violate international treaties and bring sanctions from Washington.
The U.S. has spent millions of dollars trying to eradicate the crop on Jamaica and has consistently opposed efforts to loosen its marijuana laws.
This is great news for the people of Jamaica! It’s a sad state of affairs when the US can impose their will in the War on Drugs to the point of denying use of cannabis in religion in other sovereign countries. Look to Portugal, the Netherlands, and Mexico for more sensible approaches to personal use of marijuana.
[...] Jamaica lawmaker calls for legalizing small amounts of marijuana for private use [...]
[...] norml AKPC_IDS += "1824,";Yigg It! – Deine Stimme für mehr Leser yigg_url = [...]
I agree LEGALIZATION is the only way to go..but some take baby steps. We need backing on HB 2401 in WA! It would legalize MJ and be for sale in liquor stores! Please email, write, fax members of the LEGAL house at this point in time!
While so many cheer for lessened penalties, the perpetuation of “it’s wrong, and should be illegal” continues. Anyone serving jail time for cannabis is just obscene, but lessening penalties to a fine doesn’t really address the issue.
Radical Russ has led the outcry about medical cannabis laws not going far enough, and I can’t see how reducing penalties is such a victory. Decrim without legalization just makes the drug cartels’ business that much safer.
We must remove the support for these murdering lowlifes. Their influence expands every day, and the only way to slow them down is to provide for legal businesses to take over, with regulation and taxation to benefit our troubled nation.
I admire your fresh, inquisitive approach to this topic. That’s all this whole thing – every whole and partial thing – needs, actually: people to start looking and questioning in an inquisitive manner. The truth will then out (Seek and ye shall find.) and everything can then get better.
“…if prohibition causes great harm to society, ALL COUNTRIES will feel that pain…” This is absolutely correct. Try to put yourself in the position of a person who is not a US citizen and wonders why the US can’t regulate its need to control: ‘All these wars (Wars on Drugs, both good and bad; Wars on Terrorists, who are freedom fighters to someone, even if only their own families; wars in a seemingly endless list of countries…?!’ What do you think the DEA’s hard-ons mean to inquisitive people who wonder why? There are intelligent people in Iran, Nicaragua, Korea and the Netherlands (and lots of other places apart from Washington, as well)!
One thing you can say about our bull-headed prohibition efforts, though they have not succeeded in reducing demand, supply, violence, crime, corruption, use, abuse, cost etc… etc…. One thing that it has been a resounding success at is maintaining the oppressive laws and suppression of honest debate around the world. It has ensured that if prohibition causes great harm to society, ALL COUNTRIES will feel that pain!