Minister of Justice Mark Golding announces Decriminalization of Marijuana - Still no word on Medicinal Cultivation or Legalizing Hemp so I can Quit like a Boss

“While the Dangerous Drugs Act and its regulations and the Food and Drug Regulations, 1975, provide a regime for the use of extracts, tinctures, or preparations made from cannabis, the prohibitions of the Dangerous Drugs Act make any dealing with the ganja plant itself illegal, without exception, and, therefore, do not allow locally grown cannabis plants to be used to produce extracts, tinctures, or preparations for medical, scientific, or any other purpose”

Minister of Justice Mark Golding speaking about the decriminalization of Marijuana (Cannabis Sativa) at a Press Briefing at Jamaica House on Tuesday September 30^th 2014

Another historic day in Parliament occurred on Tuesday September 30^th, 2014!

On this day the Bill to amend the Criminal Records (Rehabilitation of Offenders) Act was passed into law, effectively decriminalizing the possession of small quantities of Marijuana (Cannabis Sativa) as reported in the article “Bill passed to expunge records for minor offences”, Published Tuesday September 30, 2014 4:12 pm by Daraine Luton, Senior Staff Reporter, The Jamaica Gleaner  and “House approves crime expungement Bill”, Wednesday, October 01, 2014, The Jamaica Observer. 

This comes roughly a week after Alaska Reporter Charlo Greene quit KTVA as a News Anchor after she revealed that she was the president of the Alaska Cannabis Club, effectively executing her decision as she had no-choice but to quit as noted in “KTVA reporter quits on-air after saying she owns Alaska Cannabis Club, published September 21, 2014 by Laurel Andrews, Alaska Dispatch News.

And yes, dear reader, she quit like a boss as can be seen below!

Thus our decriminalization of possession of small amounts of Marijuana (Cannabis Sativa), albeit sheer coincidence a week later, was nonetheless a spectacular way to get the debate started all over again and jumpstart the Medical Marijuana (Cannabis Sativa)!

Especially as Marijuana (Cannabis Sativa) can also be used in the treatment of the arthritic pains and the THC (Tetra Hydro Cannabinol) oil can be used to treat the Rash from the Chikungunya Virus as hinted in my blog article entitled “Minister of Health comes clean on Chikungunya Virus Epidemic - 35 Official Cases as 60 percent possibly Infected and Medicines running low”.

Truth be told, this was some months in coming! This was some months in coming since being promised in July 2014. This it can really be seen as a fulfillment of Minister of Justice Mark Golding’s promise to have the Dangerous Drugs Act and the Criminal Records (Rehabilitation of Offenders) Act amended by September 2014. 

This original promise was made at the Press Conference held on Friday June 13^th 2014 with regards to changes to the Dangerous Drugs Act and the Criminal Records (Rehabilitation of Offenders) Act as stated my blog article entitled “Minister of Justice Mark Golding Marijuana Decriminalization by September 2014 – Ras Puddler’s Cultivation not possible as Ganja High upgraded to Ganja University”.

Effectively this marks Jamaica decriminalization of small amounts of Marijuana (Cannabis Sativa), specifically 2 oz, reducing the possession to a mere JA$1000 ticket.

Please note this is just decriminalization of that specific amount and not 10 lb or any amount above; that's still illegal according to Minister of National Security Peter Bunting, quote: “The whole issue of trafficking, dealing, export of ganja for non-medicinal or other purposes, that is not on the table at this time, the police will still be vigorously enforcing the law and our obligations under various international treaties”.

However, smoking Marijuana (Cannabis Sativa) in private is legal, as smoking it in public places can attract a fine similar to those imposed under the ban on Smoking Tobacco and Cigarettes, albeit that technically is open to legal interpretation, as a spliff is NOT Tobacco BUT it IS smoking!

Marijuana's Historic Decriminalization – No more arrests and imprisonment for Spliff

The Fine is now set to JA$1000 when caught by the Jamaican Constabulary Force aka the Jamaican Police and is payable outside of the Court System within a thirty (30) day timeframe. Repeat offenders below the age of 18 will be referred to the National Council for Drug Abuse for Counseling on Substance Abuse. Hopefully they'll have food on hand, as they'll probably just be hungry from the munchies.

This part of the legislation is a little troubling for me, as there is no absolute proof that Marijuana

(Cannabis Sativa is addictive as noted by Laci Green of DNEWS!

Best of all, it means that persons with past Criminal Record of Marijuana possession can have those records expunged, thus allowing them to be freed of a criminal record and get US VISA’s an Jobs abroad as noted by Minister of National Security Peter Bunting, quote: “There is no doubt that the vast majority of persons who will benefit from this bill are those who have been convicted for possession of small quantities of ganja. We are talking about the thousands and thousands of Jamaicans who have been confined to the back quarter of the economy because with a criminal record, there are many jobs they can't get, many countries they can't visit because they need a clean police record to get a visa”.

Not to mention preventing juveniles from being locked up in prison and ending up being beaten or dying in lockup! This was the case with the high-profile beating of Mario Deane, who died from his injuries received while being held at the Barnett Street Police Station in Montego Bay, St James.

Since then three (3) Jamaican Police officers, Corporal Elaine Stewart, District Constable Marlon Grant and Woman District Constable Juliana Clevon were granted bail when they appeared before the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court on Friday September 26^th 2014 as stated in the article  “Cops Charged In Mario Deane Beating Death Granted Bail”, Published Friday September 26, 2014 1:31 pm, The Jamaica Gleaner.

Marijuana Pharmaceutical Industry - Still no word on Cultivation or legalizing Hemp

Still members of the Jamaican Society has negative connotations associated with Marijuana (Cannabis Sativa) despite it's well known healing properties and medicinal benefits as noted in my blog article entitled “Ras Puddler says Legalization of Marijuana benefits large Scale Growers - How Teenagers can Learn to Extract THC for personal Use to make Chocolate Cookie, Brownies and Sorrell Cake for Christmas”.

Even the Minister of Health Dr. Fenton Ferguson, is adamant that Jamaican needs to developed a Pharmaceutical Industry based on Marijuana (Cannabis Sativa), which I fully explained in my blog article entitled “Dr. Fenton Ferguson want Marijuana Medicine – Pharmaceutical Marijuana means big Profits and Taxes for the GOJ”, sidestepping issues relating to addictiveness, as absolute proof of this doesn’t exist.

Meanwhile there is also no clear cute guideline as to when full legalization of Marijuana (Cannabis Sativa will take place. Full legalization will most likely come after the establishment of a licensing authority for Marijuana farmers to grow Ganja and Hemp for a burgeoning Medicinal Ganja Industry as noted in the article “Cabinet Approves Changes To Ganja Law”, Published Wednesday October 1, 2014, The Jamaica Gleaner.

According to Minister of Justice Mark Golding speaking about the decriminalization of Marijuana (Cannabis Sativa at a Press Briefing at Jamaica House on Tuesday September 30^th 2014, that work in Progress, quote: “We need to now flesh out the specifics of the licence and framework to go hand-in-hand once the amendments have been approved and implemented”.

The Jamaica Gleaner did an excellent Video article on Minister of Justice Mark Golding speaking about the decriminalization of Marijuana (Cannabis Sativa) at a Press Briefing at Jamaica House on Tuesday September 30^th 2014.

Hopefully when such a licensing framework comes on stream, it won't be biased only to wealthy landowners and farmers but will be available to all Ganja farmers, large or small as stated in the article “Lobbyists In High Spirits Over Ganja Reform”, Published Wednesday October 1, 2014, by Daraine Luton, Senior Staff Reporter, The Jamaica Gleaner .

But from what has been said by Minister of Justice Mark Golding on Marijuana (Cannabis Sativa) cultivation, growing it for research and the making of Pharmaceutical products such as neutraceuticals is definitely on.

It won’t be long before making more companies like Dr. Henry Lowe Medicanja as detained in my blog article entitled “Dr.Henry Lowe launches Medicanja and jump-starts Pharmaceutical Industry in our Back yard – Pharmaceutical Research Renaissance in Jamaica” become more commonplace.

To quote LORD Anthony Gifford who presided over the proceedings related to the amendments and passage of the bill to amend the Dangerous Drugs Act and the Criminal Records (Rehabilitation of Offenders) Act:  “There should be no penalty for cultivation because if you are allowed to possess, then you must be allowed to grow”.

We as Jamaicans hope the same thing too, as it would lift many Jamaicans out of poverty and set many free from their past misdemeanors involving possession of a spiff. Not to mention quit out jobs like a boss as the Alaska Reporter Charlo Greene did when she quit KTVA.