The possession of small
amounts of marijuana has been decriminalised in Jamaica
The new legislation passed
by both houses of parliament paves the way for a "cannabis licensing
authority" to be established to regulate the drug.
Marijuana has also been approved
for religious, medicinal and therapeutic
purposes.
The change means Jamaicans
will be able to cultivate up to five marijuana plants on a single premises
without facing arrest.
Being caught in possession
of up to two ounces of marijuana will become a petty offence that no longer
results in a criminal record.
Followers of the Rastafari
tradition will also be allowed to use the drug freely for sacramental purposes
for the first time.
Tourists who are
prescribed medical marijuana abroad will also be able to apply for permits
allowing them to buy small amounts of Jamaican pot.
The legislation follows
several decades of debate about marijuana's place in Jamaican society.
Rastafarianism, the
religion followed by Jamaican reggae musician Bob Marley, sanctions the
ritualistic use of marijuana and the drug is widely used.
Supporters of
decriminalisation argue that laws prohibiting marijuana caused unnecessary
tension between many Jamaicans and police.
The country's minister of
national security Peter Bunting said the legislation marks the end of a
decades-long battle to legalise the drug.
"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.
"It eliminates an
unnecessary source of friction between police and citizens, and ensures that
our young people are not gratuitously shackled with criminal records.
"It is significant
because it begins to correct decades of criminalising tens of thousands of
Jamaicans, mostly poor young black males, for possession of a little 'spliff'.
"This progressive
legislation also begins to correct the victimisation of our Rastafarian
brethren which started in colonial times and continued after independence."
The move in Jamaica comes
as several US states take steps to decriminalise marijuana for personal and
medicinal use.
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