Senator Mark Golding
KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Government says it intends to embark on a public education campaign to discourage the use of ganja among specific groups in society.
Among those to be targeted are: adolescents, persons with mental disorders, pregnant women and other vulnerable persons.
This campaign is to be supported from a portion of the revenues anticipated from the establishment of a new licensing regime for the proposed hemp and medicinal ganja industry in Jamaica.
The establishment of a Cannabis Licensing Authority, to regulate the industry, is one of the provisions under the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act, 2015. The Bill seeks to decriminalize ganja for medicinal, religious, and private/personal use.
Minister of Justice, Senator Mark Golding said this exercise is necessary as “it is fully recognised that the use of ganja in Jamaica by adolescents and other vulnerable groups is a pressing social problem.”
Golding further noted that while public education around unsafe sex and alcohol drinking practices has become quite prevalent, “the legal prohibition on ganja has meant that the very real need for public messaging to discourage abusive practices in relation to ganja has been largely ignored.
He added that the campaign also seeks to mitigate adverse public health consequences associated with the use of ganja.
