Ganja Law

The Ganja Law, or Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act 2015, was passed by Jamaica's Houses of Parliament in February 2015. The law went into effect on April 15, 2015, making possession of two ounces (57 g) or less of cannabis a "non-arrestable, ticketable offence, that attracts no criminal record".^[1]^[2] Jis.gov claims "It also puts in place, regulations for marijuana use by persons of the Rastafarian faith and for medical, therapeutic and scientific purposes, including development of a legal industry for industrial hemp and medical marijuana."^[3] Earlier revisions of the laws were critiqued for being unduly harsh on citizens. A 1913 law passed to conform to the International Opium Convention unilaterally added cannabis, and was seen as "fear of the black population".^[4] For instance, the 1964 ganja law was considered to be punitive towards poor people, as were the 1963 and 1965 laws regarding flogging.^[5]

References

^ "'Ganja law' to take effect today". Jamaica Observer. 15 April 2015. Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
^ Richards, Anika (10 October 2016). "Ganja law scolding". Jamaica Observer. Archived from the original on 8 November 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
^ "America Claims Policies Like 'Ganja Law' Don't Go Far Enough". Every Day Optimal. 17 November 2015. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019.
^ Chevannes, Barry (2013). "Criminalizing cultural practice: The case of Ganja in Jamaica". In Klein, Axel; Day, Marcus; Harriott, Anthony (eds.). Caribbean Drugs: From Criminalization to Harm Reduction. Zed. p. 86. ISBN 978-1-84813-622-9.
^ Gray, Obika (1991). Radicalism and Social Change in Jamaica, 1960-1972. University of Tennessee Press. p. 122. ISBN 0-87049-661-1.