Jamaican government considers legalizing pot

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Houston Chronicle/ Associated Press

March 1, 2008, 11:46AM
Jamaican government considers legalizing pot

Associated Press

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica is considering the legalization of marijuana, a drug revered by members of the island's large Rastafarian population who say smoking it is part of their religion.

A seven-member government commission has been researching possible changes to the Caribbean nation's anti-drug laws, which some police complain are clogging courts and jails with marijuana-related cases, a government official said Friday.

"We have discussed it, and we are preparing a report to present to the prime minister," said Deputy Prime Minister Kenneth Baugh.

In 2003, a government commission recommended legalizing marijuana in small amounts for personal use. But lawmakers never acted, saying legalization might entail loss of their country's U.S. anti-drug certification. Countries that lose it face economic sanctions.



Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/5584267.html

[Dogmudgeon]

1. A way around tha American drug tyranny

Keep it illegal, but mandate a MAXIMUM penalty of £1 and NO criminal record.

By the way, why aren't WE doing anything to reform our drug laws?

--p!

[sasquatch]

5. "why aren't WE doing anything to reform our drug laws?"

Well then drug cops, DEA agents, most bounty hunters, and prison guards would have to get real jobs like the rest of us. To quote Dan Akroyd: "Have you ever worked in the private sector? Well I have and let me tell you, they expect results."

Does that answer your question?

[Dogmudgeon]

9. Well, part of it

Now we have to start expecting results from our elected officials. And the organized drug-law reform movement is on the ropes at the moment.

My uncle, by the way, was a prison guard for 10 years, then became a cop, eventually rising through the ranks to become a detective. He predictably thinks that drugs are bad news -- but also that most of the small-ticket drug laws are destructive, erode public respect for the law, and ought to be eliminated.

He's under no illusions about criminals, but he also doesn't want to see more people initiated into a life of crime, which a year or two in prison is so efficient at doing.

--p!

[pleah]

34. He sounds like a very smart man. Not to many like that in law enforcement these days.

[defendandprotect]

13. Contribute to the organizations fighting for legaization of marijuana --

Marijuana Policy Project -- see website

http://www.mpp.org/

[pink-o]

17. the biggest reason is that Big Pharma can't control marijuana

There's a reason my generation called it "weed"--cuz it grows like one! Any moron can learn how to cultivate that particular herb--except for the ones who're research scientists for the drug companies! They tried and tried to chemicalise it, but THC juuuuuust doesn't work the same as the weed in its pure form.

Meaning, of course, that Big Pharma can't make money from it. D'oh!

So therefore, Ganja in America MUST BE DEMONISED!!! It's evil weed, and it's cheap and bountiful cousin hemp (with just as many great uses and properties) is just as heinous. The DEA has no reason to legalise it, in fact it would pull profits from the power base, so forget that it cures so many illnesses.

You'd think a system that is able to sell us free stuff like bottled water, fruit and vegetables would figure out a way to sell us weed. Once that happens, then it'll become legal.

[sepulveda]

18. you'd be surprised

fwiw, at how many cops (and even DEA agents) are for the decriminalization, if not legalization of pot.

i know VERY few cops who are for legalization of cocaine, etc. but i know a LOT who are for decrim of pot.

most cops would rather people smoke a joint, scarf down twinkies and laff at dumb jokes than get liquored up and beat the crap out of their significant other, or drive drunk.

the war on drugs has been a miserable failure.

and i say this as somebody who made over 150 drug buys while undercover, and investigated hundreds more cases.

especially pot smokers.

who really cares if somebody wants to smoke dope?

not me.

it's a drug with no LD50 value, for pete's sake. i am not saying it's healthy, or beneficial (spare me the NORML propaganda), but it's hardly a big deal imo

[joeybee12]

24. It's because if any politician comes out in favor of legilization...

...it's political death...even if the majority of people favor it, that politician would get hammered endlessly by his or her opponent.

[sepulveda]

27. yup

they have been few and far between. i actually agree with many drug warriors that medical marijuana IS a steppingstone for legalization. because it helps "normal" (not NORML) people like grandmas, and stuff come to the realization that it's not demonweed. it's pretty benign

[joeybee12]

29. It initially became illegal because Mexicans in Texas were smoking it...

...and anti-immigration forces saw banning that as a way of getting rid of them.

[sepulveda]

30. yes

drug prohibition, just like gun control has its roots in racism.

viewing some of the early drug propaganda films (reefer madness et al) makes that pretty clear.

i also find it amazing that it's illegal to smoke weed in JAMAICA

that would be like it being illegal to play the bagpipes in scotland, eat fish and chips in england, or drink tequila in mexico.

[joeybee12]

35. No, not fish and chips!!!

Lord, how I hate British "cuisine." Love their tv, though.

Oh, I got off-track...those propoganda films are something.

[Idylle Moon Dancer]

45. Actually,

there once was a time when it was illegal to play the pipes in Scotland,
but it was an English law I believe, not Scottish.

[sasquatch]

46. Yes, right after the second Jacobite uprising and the Battle of Culloden.

It was a law passed by the British Parkaiment that had it's support from Scottish lowlanders because bagpipes were viewed as being apart of Highlander culture.

[bitchkitty]

44. True, that stream of mansions and cars and other seized assets would dry up. n/t

[Doctor Cynic]

2. The reggae will be a lot more entertaining if this passes. n/t

[navarth]

3. I'm thinking tourism would go WAY up

and that tourism money might make up for whatever economic benefit they derive from this ersatz 'U.S. anti-drug certification.'

In 2003, a government commission recommended legalizing marijuana in small amounts for personal use. But lawmakers never acted, saying legalization might entail loss of their country's U.S. anti-drug certification. Countries that lose it face economic sanctions.

So how much are these 'economic sanctions', I wonder? Maybe they can afford to tell our anti-drug people to go fuck themselves?

Just wondering...

Decriminalization is the only sane thing to do.

k & r

[KillCapitalism]

38. I agree.

Once they legalize, they could have their own Cannabis Cup in Kingston!:headbang:

It would be much easier & cheaper to get there than Amsterdam.

[east texas lib]

4. Well, it's not like WE'RE dopers or anything...

HEY! You guys skipped me AGAIN! BOGARTS!:smoke:

[MaineDem]

6. Let's hear it for the ganja. n/t

[frylock]

7. every time i plant a seed..

he say kill it before it grow.

[FedUp_Queer]

8. Legalizing pot

Maybe legalizing pot will make Jamaicans chill the fuck out and stop bashing LGBT people.

[Hydra]

11. Never happen

I lived in the islands, and the homophobia there is stunning.

[Poll_Blind]

14. Did you ever get a sense WHY it was that way? Was it religion or...

..something else? I haven't lived in the region but I have read many places that, as you said, homophobia is pretty prevalent there.

PB

[Hydra]

16. I would say cultural

I wondered the same thing(I'm luckily straight) when I encountered it. Why were these dopers bothering with this level of hate? That sort of thing takes effort.

I started looking more deeply at what they valued, and the surprising answer was that sex had as big or bigger emphasis as drugs, money, style, etc in that culture- hetero sex, that is. Men were expected to be studs, and women were supposed to be hot. The gay thing threw a monkey wrench into that particular structure, so I suppose the easiest thing to do is make it unacceptable. That always worked for the church.

[Poll_Blind]

23. Interesting! Thanks. n/t

PB

[The Croquist]

10. This is GREAT news for Jamaica!

If I were president of a country like Jamaica I would not only legalize it but allow it's export to anywhere. If the US wants to search every ship and plane entering from Jamaica so be it. They probably do now anyway.

Jamaica's number one export is sugarcane something that we subsidize so heavily here that they can't sell it to us.

Grow pot. Sell pot. Sell as much to anyone as they want to buy. It's called capitalism. Tourism will go up and the rest of the Caribbean will follow. Pretty soon we'll be subsidizing pot farmers in the US.

[pokercat999]

28. The crazy bastards we have running this country

(and yes I mean Democrats also) would embargo Jamaica just like Cuba.

[The Croquist]

42. I don't think so

First there aren't nearly as many rabid anti-Jamaican nut jobs as on the Cuban side and second they need the glory that more arrests the war on drugs will bring.

[pokercat999]

43. Point conceded.

[sofa king]

37. I was certainly searched a lot.

Back in those days I was a long-haired leaping gnome, and any time I set foot on Jamaica I was "randomly selected" for a baggage search upon my return home.

Except once. I'd started in Montego Bay and visited several other islands. When I was in Barbados, a guy offered me a softball-sized quarter pound wad of the most beautiful cigar-house cured sativa I've ever seen, in trade for my $50 Timex watch.

I had to say no, because I knew that customs would be selecting me for special attention. But in the event, my ship pulled into harbor late and all of the passengers bypassed customs entirely, being bussed directly to our domestic flights home. I never even pulled my passport out of my pocket.

I really have to get back to Barbados one of these days.

[defendandprotect]

12. This phoney drug war only serves to funnel money into corrupt

hands -- while serving as an tool of intimidation on our own citizens and every other nation---!!!

Let's face it; there's no way that this high level corruption over decades can exist without the
cooperation and protection of corrupt politicians and corrupt law enforcement ---
in fact, it's corrupting law eforcement just as Prohibition did.

We have $700 BILLION a year in drug money being laundered by our major banks --- Citibank!!!

NEEDLESS to say this Drug War has also been a very "holier than thou" way of imprisoning African-Americans and people of color --- and the poor caught up in drug running.

Finally, when 1 in 100 Americans are in our jails . . . THIS is a threat to every citizen --
and to democracy!

[downindixie]

15. 800,000 arrested in 07 for touching mary jane

700,000 in 06,800,000 in 07,what will it be for this year? This is people jailed for having marijuana only.People are trying to stop this madness like L.E.A.P. and NORML.The States are the ones who are now trying to stop law enforcement from getting carried away by addressing the medical issue of pot.The trouble with that is it usually put people in charge who are ignorant to the facts of marijuana and its prohibition.


"Prohibition goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attemps to control a man's appetite by legislation,and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes"

Abraham Lincoln

[sepulveda]

19. to be precise

in law enforcement statistics, you have to be careful to understand that "arrest' can also mean criminal cite when no custodial arrest (booking) is done.

this is the case in my agency, for instance.

if a criminal citation is written for possession of mj, that counts in FBI statistics, and our statistics as an "arrest".

but it does not necessarily result in any jail.

to be clear, i am 100% for decriminalization of pot, and against the drug war. i am just clarifying the statistics, since i know how they are reported to the FBI.

most misdemeanor arrests i make are by citation. iow, nobody goes to jail. with the exception of domestic violence, where it is generally mandated that a custodial booking be made if the suspect is on scene. even when a misdemeanor.

seattle, for instance, has officially come out through policy that mj is not considered a priority and is de facto decriminalized.

california has also decrim'd possession (de jure) of small amounts of mj

so progress HAS been made. the primary problem is the feds. states that have been progressive in passing medical mj and decrim'ing mj (no state yet has legalized it, but nevada put it on the ballot), run up against the federal govt. that seems to think that (due to a REALLY bad scotus case) that they should have jurisdiction in a state's internal medicine and drug policies.

i am all for the feds having jurisdiction over border drugs and interstate transport/commerce. but they have established jurisdiction for intrastate drug issues based on a really terrible reading of the commerce clause.

we also need to work with (and there are a LOT of these) libertarian republicans who are also fighting for decrim and legalization.

[angrycarpenter]

25. We need people who look like republicans to fight this fight.

The worst person to be a spokesman for reforming drug laws is a hippie. The sight of a casually dressed, long haired, maybe bearded person makes their minds slam shut like a bank vault.

[sepulveda]

26. yes

i went to the last seattle hempfest and it was like the "die hippie, die" episode of southpark

the reality is there are LOTS of businessmen and women, straitlaced looking 9 to 5 successful "model members" of society who are pro decrim. they make the best advocates. also, there are MANY people who don't smoke, have no desire to smoke, but still think its important to decrim. that would be me.

yer average stoner - not the best advocate i agree

just confirms people's stereotypes. no jeff spicoli's!

[ohio2007]

20. interesting case study if they go through with it

-snip-

Members of the Rastafarian movement, which emerged in Jamaica in the 1930s out of anger over the oppression of blacks, have long lobbied for the legalization of the drug that they say brings them closer to the divine.

There are an estimated 700,000 Rastafarians in the world, most of them among Jamaica's 2.6 million people


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2spZ-NDfS4&feature=related

[LuckyLib]

21. It would be part of my religion too if I could get it legally and easily.

As it is, I don't know anyone who admits still smoking (I'm a boomer) so I don't know how to get it!:smoke:

[gula]

22. While they're at it, why not legalize homosexuality and stop the

socially accepted killings and mayhem wrought on that community?

Just to say, before you envisage Jamaica as a tourist destination, there are some questions you should ask yourself.

[totodeinhere]

31. It is one of the most homophobic places in the world.

Everybody needs to boycott Jamaica until the government there starts protecting GLBT's from violent abuse which is rampant there right now.

[devilgrrl]

32. Here here!

A friend told me that hardware stores sold out of machetes a few days before a pride march was to take place.

That's a lot of brass from a community that incessantly whines about injustices brought about by "bald-head" and "babylon", yet insists in "One Love - One heart." :wtf:

Homophobia killed Reggae

[Ian David]

33. IIRC, the penalty in Jamaica was a $50 fine and a one night stay in jail.

Compare that the the penalty for being gay, which is death by angry mob, and I'd say their penalty for smoking pot is pretty lenient already.

Besides, it's fucking HOT there.

You HAVE to be stoned on SOMETHING to avoid ripping yourself out of your skin.

Like our tourbus driver, who suddenly pulled to the side of the road to pick some soursop mellon, which he explained is "good for your nerves."

[pleah]

36. "What God has created, no man can kill it out" from

Mary Jane Grows Up in American around 1975(?) A propaganda film my parents made me and my brothers and sisters watch back then. We all laughed at that part of the film and my parents were not amused.

[burrowowl]

39. Would prefer that they

stop beating the hell out Gays!

[rayofreason]

40. Ganja tourism!

The snack food industry will make a killing!

[twinner]

41. Makes sense

The criminalization of pot is a scam.

Period.

Tobacco is just as harmful - alcohol even more.

Outlaw what you don't control is their motto.

Tobacco, sugar, heroin et al. came from the outside in - as substances that the populace craved and soon became commodities.