Jamaica, long associated with a vibrant pot-smoking culture, passed a law decriminalizing possession of small amounts of ganja.
"Ganja law gets green light," the Jamaican Observer said in its online version.
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Minister of National Security Peter Bunting said the change came after an "elephantine" slog through parliament that took decades.
"To describe this Bill's development as elephantine, is to label it in euphemistic terms since the Parliamentary deliberations on it commenced as far back as 38 years ago," he said in a statement.
![Medical Marijuana Accepted by Florida Republican Legislators]( "Medical Marijuana Accepted by Florida Republican Legislators")
Medical Marijuana was once opposed by Republican lawmakers in Florida, but they are now accepting it, motivated by the strong show of support from voters.
He added: "It eliminates an unnecessary source of friction between police and citizens, and ensures that our young people are not gratuitously shackled with criminal records."
The new law makes possession of small quantities of pot a non-arrestable offense that can instead result in a fine.
It will also permit the use of marijuana for religious, medical, scientific, and therapeutic purposes.
Finally, it will provide for regulation through the granting of licenses to permit the development of a lawful industry for medical ganja and industrial hemp, the minister's statement said.
"It is significant because it begins to correct decades of criminalizing tens of thousands of Jamaicans, mostly poor young black males, for possession of a little 'spliff'," Bunting said.
"This progressive legislation also begins to correct the victimization of our Rastafarian brethren which started in colonial times and continued after Independence," he added.
Rastafarianism, the religion followed by late Jamaican reggae star Bob Marley, includes the ritualistic use of marijuana.
Source: AFP
Medical Marijuana Accepted by Florida Republican Legislators
Medical Marijuana was once opposed by Republican lawmakers in Florida, but they are now accepting it, motivated by the strong show of support from voters.
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He added: "It eliminates an unnecessary source of friction between police and citizens, and ensures that our young people are not gratuitously shackled with criminal records."
The new law makes possession of small quantities of pot a non-arrestable offense that can instead result in a fine.
It will also permit the use of marijuana for religious, medical, scientific, and therapeutic purposes.
Finally, it will provide for regulation through the granting of licenses to permit the development of a lawful industry for medical ganja and industrial hemp, the minister's statement said.
"It is significant because it begins to correct decades of criminalizing tens of thousands of Jamaicans, mostly poor young black males, for possession of a little 'spliff'," Bunting said.
"This progressive legislation also begins to correct the victimization of our Rastafarian brethren which started in colonial times and continued after Independence," he added.
Rastafarianism, the religion followed by late Jamaican reggae star Bob Marley, includes the ritualistic use of marijuana.
Source: AFP
Why Marijuana Use Inevitably Brings on Uncontrollable Urge to Eat
A new study finds why people tend to eat a lot after smoking marijuana suggesting that uncontrollable urge to eat after using marijuana is driven by neurons in the brain that are normally involved in suppressing appetite.
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Marijuana Use Linked With Excessive Daytime Sleepiness in Some TeenagersMarijuana use may be associated with excessive daytime sleepiness in some teenagers, revealed researchers. | Advertisement
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