Status of Medical Marijuana (Cannabis) in Jamaica

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Status of Medical Marijuana (Cannabis) in Jamaica.

Jamaica does NOT have a MEDICAL MARIJUANA (cannabis) LAW.

Jamaica | Cannabis possession remains illegal, though enforcement is scarce.A recent panel recommended legalizing possession for adults for medical use. ... Click >here< for current info.

Legal and medical status of cannabis From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia | Jamaica (Caribbean) Illegal | Cultivation, retail and consumption is illegal.However this is often overlooked and cannabis is sold openly.[23] ... source -

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Medical marijuana around the world - Published at 2006-06-22 in Cannabis information » Medical cannabis | Marijuana is looked at very differently around the world. For example, in the Netherlands cannabis has been legally available for recreational use in coffee shops for several years.Thus it has also been available without a prescription for medical uses. Here we take a look at various countries look at the term “medical marijuana”. Source -

International law

Marijuana is in Schedule IV of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, making it subject to special restrictions.Article 2 provides for the following, in reference to Schedule IV drugs:

A Party shall, if in its opinion the prevailing conditions in its country render it the most appropriate means of protecting the public health and welfare, prohibit the production, manufacture, export and import of, trade in, possession or use of any such drug except for amounts which may be necessary for medical and scientific research only, including clinical trials therewith to be conducted under or subject to the direct supervision and control of the Party.

This provision, while apparently providing for the limitation of marijuana to research purposes only, also seems to allow some latitude for nations to make their own judgments.The official Commentary on the Single Convention indicates that Parties are expected to make that judgment in good faith. Visit - for more.

Jamaica NORML | PO Box 24, Laughlands, St Ann * Voice (876) 972-0817

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Organizations Supporting Access to Therapeutic Cannabis As Compiled by Patients Out of Time Lancet (UK) – 1995, 1998 Medical Association of Jamaica - 2001 Medical Cannabis Research Foundation (UK) – 2000 National Commission on Ganja, Jamaica - 2001 National Council on Drug Abuse, Jamaica - 2001Preventive Medical Center, Netherlands - 1993 Schmerztherapeutisches Kolloquium (Society for Pain Therapists) Germany - 1998 Stichting Institute of Medical Marijuana, Netherlands - 1993 United Church of Jamaica and Cayman Islands – 2000 ... Visit:

Melanie Dreher, Jamaican Pregnancy Study ... the thousands of relevant studies on the medical efficacy of cannabis. ... effects of prenatal marijuana exposure on neonates in rural Jamaica. ... DREHER'S JAMAICAN PREGNANCY STUDY More Suppression of Marijuana Research In the 1980s Melanie Dreher and colleagues at UMass Amherst began a longitudinal study to assess the well-being of infants and children whose mothers used cannabis during pregnancy. The researchers lived in rural Jamaican communities among the women they were studying.Thirty cannabis-using pregnant women were matched for age and socio-economic status with 30 non-users. Dreher et al compared the course of their pregnancies and their neo-natal outcomes, using various standard scales.

No differences were detected three days after birth. At 30 days the exposed babies did better than the non-exposed on all the scales and significantly better on two of the scales (having to do with autonomic stability and reflexes).Follow-up studies were conducted when the kids were four and five (just before entering school and after). The moms were defined as light users (1-10 spliffs per week), moderate (11-20), and heavy (21-70). Consumption of ganja tea was also taken into account. ... Visit:

Prenatal Marijuana Exposure and Neonatal... Social, medical, and obstetrical histories were determined via maternal interviews. Naturalistic observations of the women in their homes and communities ... Prenatal Marijuana Exposure and Neonatal Outcomes in Jamaica: An Ethnographic Study Melanie C. Dreher, PhD; Kevin Nugent, PhD; and Rebekah Hudgins, MA ABSTRACT. Objective. To identify neurobehavioral effects of prenatal marijuana exposure on neonates in rural Jamaica. Design.Ethnographic field studies and standardized neurobehavior assessments during the neonatal period. Setting. Rural Jamaica in heavy-marijuana-using population. Participants. Twenty-four Jamaican neonates exposed to marijuana prenatally and 20 nonexposed neonates.

Measurements and main results. Exposed and nonexposed neonates were compared at 3 days and 1 month old, using the Brazelton Neonatal Assessment Scale, including supplementary items to capture possible subtle effects. There were no significant differences between exposed and nonexposed neonates on day 3.At 1 month, the exposed neonates showed better physiological stability and required less examiner facilitation to reach organized states. The neonates of heavy-marijuana-using mothers had better scores on autonomic stability, quality of alertness, irritability, and self-regulation and were judged to be more rewarding for caregivers.

Conclusions. The absence of any differences between the exposed on nonexposed groups in the early neonatal period suggest that the better scores of exposed neonates at 1 month are traceable to the cultural positioning and social and economic characteristics of mothers using marijuana that select for the use of marijuana but also promote neonatal development.Pediatrics 1994;93:254-260; prenatal marijuana exposure, neonatal outcomes, Jamaica, Brazelton scale supplementary items. ... Visit:

ajnag.com Advocates call for medical-marijuana as replacement industry With Jamaica in the economic doldrums and grappling with the ill-effects of the ... ajnag.com Advocates call for medical-marijuana as replacement industryWith Jamaica in the economic doldrums and grappling with the ill-effects of the global financial crisis, some suggest the country needs to look seriously at what is arguably its most popular, albeit illegal, product to help plug the massive revenue shortfalls in the economy. August 2 at 12:06pm ... Visit:

Jamaica's ganja study By Pete Brady, Cannabis Culture - Sunday, August 25 2002 | National Commission of Ganja reports widespread support for freeing the island's sacred weed. Nugget of Jamaican love.Ganja was brought to the West Indies in the mid-19th century by East Indian laborers who settled in Guyana, Trinidad and Jamaica. In Jamaica, from the 1800's until the early years of the 20th century, ganja was an unregulated herb widely used as medicine, intoxicant, and religious sacrament. Even though it caused few medical or social problems, Judeo-Christian church groups and Jamaica's white ruling elite convinced legislators to criminalize it in 1913. The country later became a signatory to international anti-marijuana treaties. Prohibition has been a disaster for Jamaica.Tens of thousands of Jamaicans have been harassed, jailed and even killed due to enforcement of ganja laws. Yet, the island's climate, culture, and topography are ideal for ganja cultivation, and Jamaica has become famous for potent outdoor marijuana, reggae music, and herb-infused Rastafarian religion. In 1977, after decades of counterproductive attempts to stop Jamaicans from growing and using marijuana, the government set up an aptly-named "Joint Select Committee" to study ganja and make new policy recommendations.

The Committee rejected full legalization only because it did not believe Jamaica could legalize herb and still be in compliance with anti-narcotics treaties, but it unanimously concluded that "there was a substantial case for decriminalizing personal use of ganja."The Committee recommended "no punishment" for personal use of as much as two ounces of ganja by users on private premises. It recommended total legalization of medical marijuana. ... Visit:

Greener pastures? - JamaicaObserver.com In the United States - Jamaica's major trading partner - 13 states have legalised medical marijuana, and four - California, Colorado, New Mexico and Rhode ... Greener pastures? Advocates call for medical-marijuana as replacement industry By Julian Richardson Sunday, August 02, 2009 With Jamaica in the economic doldrums and grappling with the ill-effects of the global financial crisis, some suggest the country needs to look seriously at what is arguably its most popular, albeit illegal, product to help plug the massive revenue shortfalls in the economy. Marijuana is largely renowned as a recreational drug, and its usage is banned in most parts of the world.At the same time, the plant known for possessing medicinal compounds, is increasingly becoming a medically recommended drug in many territories. Marijuana-derived drugs have proven to be useful in treating inflammatory bowel disease, glaucoma, bipolar disorders, and nausea among other ailments. ... Visit:

Erowid Cannabis Vault : Medical - Cannab... 'Proven: Cannabis is Safe Medicine', by Ian Williams Goddard ... [12] Ganja in Jamaica: A Medical Anthropological Study of Chronic Marijuana Use. 1975. ... Proven : Cannabis is Safe Medicine by Ian Williams Goddard In reaction to medical cannabis access referendums on the ballots in Arizona and California, former presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and George Bush signed a letter stating that they "categorically oppose'' access to cannabis for its many proven therapeutic uses such as the prevention of blindness and epileptic seizures [1].Their chief concern was that legal medical access would send the message that cannabis is safe. The presidents can, however, lay their safety concerns to rest because the scientific literature overwhelmingly confirms that cannabis is both an effective and safe medicine. ... In three major studies conducted in Jamaica, Costa Rica, and Greece, researchers have compared heavy long-term cannabis users with non-users and found no evidence of intellectual or neurological damage, no changes in personality, and no loss of the will to work or participate in society.

The Jamaican study states that, even as cannabis use in Jamaica "is pervasive" and is used "in heavier quantities with greater THC potency than in the U.S.,"its use is "without deleterious social or psychological consequences." [12] ... Visit:

Official Steve Kubby Home Page During my stay, the Jamaican Cabinet met with the Minister of Health to debate allowing medical cannabis in Jamaica. A decision was made that there was too ... Medical Marijuana in Jamaica By Steve Kubby A soldier, armed with an assault rifle, steps onto the road and orders us to pull over. I quickly take one more toke and put out my spliff, briefly savoring the candlewood aroma of my Jamaican ganga, and mentally prepare to go into warrior mode. As soon as we stop, I hear a loud, belligerent voice demanding to know if there are guns or drugs in our vehicle - a gleaming white BMW 645, that obviously brought us this unwanted attention.Before I can say anything, my host speaks up and says he has a 9 mm automatic pistol. He then disarms the weapon and hands the pistol and a fully loaded clip to the soldier. "Where's your permit?" barks the soldier. "I left it at home," says my host. The soldier becomes furious and threatens to impound the car and drag him off to jail. Instead of responding, my host turns, leans into the car and smiles at me. "He's just trying to squeeze some money out of me, don't worry," he quietly tells me. My host dials up the Speaker of the House, the number two man in the government and puts him on speakerphone. ... Visit:

Ganja Law Reform in Jamaica March 12, 2008 – 8:03 am Posted in Cannabis Policy Reform, International news, Medical Cannabis, Peace & Inspiration | Headline: March 11.2008 – Spliff Society – Jamaica Considers Calls To Decriminalize Ganja- When you think of ganja, you think of Jamaica – famous for righteous reggae vibrations, beautiful beaches and mountainside groves of marijuana. However, Cannabis (marijuana, ganja, pot) is still illegal in Jamaica, even as ganja consciousness pervades its’ culture and draws vacationers from around the world seeking serenity at laid-back ganja-friendly resorts.In 2003, a government appointed “Ganja Commission” recommended decriminalization (small fines for users; jail for dealers), but the prospect of losing its’”anti-drug certification” from the United States and resulting economic sanctions caused the government to continue the prohibition. This year, with the Jamaican Labour Party in power and the island’s court’s clogged with marijuana-related cases, there is a real possibility of reform.

As ganja use has been so prevalent in Jamaican culture, it has been a subject of study by researchers seeking to understand Cannabis use in real-world situations. One very interesting example comes from Dr. Melanie Dreher (now Dean of the Rush University College of Nursing in Chicago), who spent years of observing the dynamics of Jamaican women, motherhood, cultural taboos against cocaine and cultural support of Cannabis.Indeed, the “Roots Daughters”, respected pillars of Jamaican family and community, are brewers of ”Ganja Tea”, beneficial both physically and spiritually. ... Visit:

Steve Kubby: Medical Marijuana in Jamaica March 4, 2009 Jamaica’s incredibly medicinal sativa strains have been badly polluted by indicas from Europe. Part of my mission in Jamaica was to determine if these incredibly valuable medicinal strains still exists.Jamaican have used these strains medically for hundreds of years, but the lure of quicker flowering and more expensive indica strains, has been devastating to the old Landrace strains that had been carefully bred for medical properties. ... Visit:

Cannabis and Present-Day Medical Product... Present day Cannabis Medical Products ... 20.6 - JAMAICA: [See Pictures] JAMAICA, THE LAND OF GENTLE BREEZES. AND MEDICAL CANNABIS: ... Chapter 20 PRESENT-DAY CANNABIS MEDICINES [COLLECTABLES AND ANTIQUE FACTS] "Medical Marihuana has NO Medical Uses, None what-So-Ever" "Those who think that it does ---- Well They're in Denial, In Denial" --[San Jose Narc, screaming into the radio] JAMAICA, THE LAND OF GENTLE BREEZES AND MEDICAL CANNABIS: When one thinks of Jamaica, one usually thinks of travel, tourism, and white sandy beaches. However, it is now also gaining more and more attention as the land where (while still illegal) Cannabis medicines are beginning to flourish.One can say that, unlike the United States, Jamaica "Politically Speaking," is taking a more enlightened view towards the subject of legitimate medical research. And as anyone with any knowledge of our present-day political situation (with regards to Medical Cannabis) knows; "Politics Is Everything". ... Visit:

ajnag - Cannabis Lifestyle Network > Cannabis TV > Videos Categories Featured TV Soul Majestic - California Reggae Band Info: Description; Soul Majestic’s musical recipe is not one whipped up by corporate interests for mass production of a cheap product to force feed the population, but one handed down from ancestors and elders, and developed through the process of sharing.... Visit:

Filling the cannabis gap in Britian - Diane Abbott - Sunday, December 23, 2007 | Most people associate cannabis with Rastafarianism and cannabis growing with countries like Jamaica. So I was interested to hear a report on the BBC this week, which suggested that Britain might actually have become a net exporter of cannabis. Traditionally Britain has imported most of its cannabis. There were, of course, always people who grew cannabis for personal use. This ranged from the odd straggly pot plant to rows of rows of cannabis plants carefully grown in a loft under special lamps.But cannabis has never been commercially grown in Britain. That has all changed. In the last six years the cultivation of cannabis as a cash crop has grown exponentially. This is not done outdoors. We have too little sunshine to make that viable.

Instead, the commercial growers use houses bought specially, in areas where housing is cheap. The houses have their curtains drawn tight all day long. And every room is given over to growing cannabis. Growing cannabis commercially is not just confined to inner-city areas. There are 51 police forces in Britain. Forty-seven of them have reported commercial cannabis cultivation. In Glasgow, Scotland, police have closed down 61 cannabis factories in nine months. In (largely rural) Derbyshire they have closed 200 factories in a year. And in London, the Metropolitan police have closed down over 1,500 factories in the past two years - three a day. But the commercial cannabis growers that actually get shut down are the tip of the iceberg.On the other hand, it is argued that the new strains of cannabis being commercially cultivated indoors in artificial conditions in Britain and the rest of Europe are actually stronger and more toxic than the cannabis grown more naturally in the open air in Jamaica and elsewhere. But the continued rise of commercial production in Britain proves that pressuring poor countries like Jamaica and Morocco to burn their crops is pointless. Unless something is done about demand, other suppliers (including domestic producers) will emerge to fill the gap. ... All the medical evidence shows that it less harmful than alcohol. ... than the cannabis grown more naturally in the open air in Jamaica and elsewhere. ... Visit:

Marijuana in Jamaica; The use of marijuana in Jamaica is wide spread. From youths trying to be in on the in crowd, to Rastas who claim they use it for religious purposes. ... A Little Background. Very few issues are more topical and heated than this, the issue of marijuana in Jamaica. Some will argue for its legalization, while others vehemently oppose it; each case for varying reasons. Otherwise called Ganja, Marijuana was brought to Jamaica in the late 1800's by the indentured East Indian labourers.They were brought here to work on the plantations after slavery was ended. Today, although it is illegal in the country, Marijuana's cultivation is still very much alive and well. In fact, from all indications, it is perhaps at an all time high. ... Visit: