MOSCOW, October 1 (RIA Novosti) - The government of Jamaica is set to decriminalize the use of marijuana for medical and religious purposes after a bill on the drug has been drafted, the justice minister of Jamaica Mark Golding said.
"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," Golding was quoted by The Gleaner as saying on Tuesday.
According to Golding, a licensing authority will be set up to regulate the terms under which marijuana shall be used.
This June, Jamaica's Justice Ministry issued a report in which it detailed the changes it intends to introduce. Specifically, it proposed permitting the possession of small quantities of marijuana as well its use in those public places where the smoking of tobacco is permitted.
The decriminalization, according to the report, would also allow doctors to prescribe marijuana for therapeutic purposes.
The new legislation on marijuana would also grant Rastafarians, a religious community in Jamaica, to use the drug in places where they conduct their worship. According to a report by James Madison University in Virginia, the United States, marijuana is seen by Rastafarians as a spiritual aid rather than a drug, helping them with their meditation.
According to the same report, the legislation Jamaica is going to adopt is consistent with the legislation of some other countries, including Canada, Australia, Argentina, Netherlands, Portugal, etc.
