ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, April 29 2015 – Minister of Social Transformation and Human Resource Development Samantha Marshall has urged Commonwealth youth ministers meeting here to add decriminalising possession of small amounts of marijuana to their agenda.
Noting that the government of Jamaica has shown “enormous good sense” in decriminalising possession of small amounts of marijuana, Marshall said other Commonwealth Caribbean countries should do likewise.
“It is time, in my view, that other Commonwealth Caribbean countries do the same while continuing education to stop its use,” she said during Tuesday’s opening ceremony.
“We have not banned alcohol or tobacco even though it has been proven that they are more addictive than marijuana.
“The double standards should end, and we should stop dancing to someone else’s tune,” Marshall added.
Possession of up to two ounces of marijuana is now a petty offense in Jamaica that could result in a ticket but not in a criminal record. Cultivation of five or fewer plants on any premises is permitted and tourists who are prescribed medical marijuana abroad can apply for permits authorising them to legally buy small amounts of Jamaican weed, or “ganja” as it is known locally.
Marshall said Jamaica is breaking sensible ground.
“My point is that we should stop criminalising our own youth in order to march to the beat of some other country’s drum.
“This is a matter that Commonwealth Caribbean Youth Ministers should add to their agenda. It is not an abstract issue. It is an issue about which we have the power to act in our own interest,” the minister said.
