Ganja Growers Association for Jamaica

The advocates of the move say that they envision the development of a local, regional and international cannabis industry that will generate billions of dollars for the Jamaican economy and others in the region.

The formal launch of the Association is expected to form part of a forum of stakeholders that will be held at the University of the West Indies, Mona campus.

"We have invited representatives of the various organisations to come together at the forum to take their ideas forward,” Paul Burke, a spokesman for the forum organisers confirmed.

The launch of the Cannabis Future Growers and Producers Association is expected to be one of the outcomes of the forum,the Jamaica Observer newspaper reported.

The decriminalisation of ganja is, according to reports, being taken as a ‘done deal’ by Jamaicans, as both sides of the political divide have struck common ground on the issue.

This follows the adoption of a widely debated Government-sanctioned National Commission on Ganja in August 2001.

That Commission had recommended that ganja be decriminalized for personal, private use by adults, and for use in religious rites as per the Rastafarian movement.

The Commission did recognise that ganja can have harmful effects, but said that this should not mean that thousands of Jamaicans should be deemed criminals for using it. It also recognised the therapeutic properties of the herb.

Jamaica is taking the lead in the Caribbean with efforts to bring ganja into the mainstream. Late last year Dr. Henry Lowe established Medicanja, Jamaica’s first medical ganja company. (Source: Jamaica Observer)