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Let's reclaim our independence and legalise marijuana
CHRIS BURNS
Monday, August 03, 2009
Forty-seven years in the life of any nation is relatively short; yet years of social blight and economic underperformance can make those years seem eternal. For when Jamaica gained political independence from Britain in 1962, it was achieved on the premise that political independence would empower us not only to embrace the freedom that came with self-government, but also to help us actualise the opportunities it offered to develop and maintain a prosperous, well-organised, and orderly society.
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| Legalise the growth and distribution of medical marijuana |
Therefore, it was the beliefs, desires and intentions of the architects of political independence for the country to use the freedom, the rights and responsibilities that came with such, as springboards toward achieving social progress and economic independence for the majority. In fairness, the country experienced social order, economic development and growth during the first five years following the Declaration of Independence.
However, there have been serious structural defects in the way that the Jamaican economic and social systems operate. A sad consequence of this lopsided socio-economic apparatus has been the lasting legacy of economic inequality and social marginalisation, both of which are responsible for the structure we now have - one which is bitterly broken, uncompetitive, polarised, underdeveloped, woefully uneducated and marginally productive.
Undoubtedly, there is enough blame to go around, with leftovers to fill the Mona Reservoir. But as appealing as it may seem to some, shifting responsibility and apportioning blame, however worthy, cannot earn Jamaica one extra cent in revenue to help offset the enormous debt that successive governments have accumulated in the name of our children and their children's children. Simply put, we have an obligation to reclaim our independence by demanding that our government pursue the best sets of policies - those that will eventually lead to prosperity and happiness for all.
As we reclaim our independence, we have to start at the point of honesty. Starting at the point of honesty demands serious introspection, because we have not been good stewards of our affairs. Our political leaders are mostly wimps who do not have a clue how to distinguish between power and authority, and to this day, cannot manage the differences between the two. Worst of all, some of them are very adept at spewing rhetorical flourishes, but are equally inept at demonstrating the requisite testicular fortitude when certain circumstances demand no less. Yet, they continue to talk ad nauseam about possessing political will, but sadly they cannot differentiate between political will and a bulla.
Take the current political crop, for example: For months, while the entire world was in an economic tailspin, our beloved Prime Minister Bruce Golding, talked up the virtues of the rigid commitment of the Jamaican diaspora to send remittances; as if they controlled the Federal Reserves monetary system and could print and send money to Jamaica as they have a wish. Give me a break! Then, to add insult to injury, his finance minister, Audley Shaw, barricaded himself behind an everlasting wall of denial, peeping and shouting out only when he had something dumber to say about the prevailing economic crisis. Those before them were no wiser either, because for the better part of 18 years, their definition of "solid achievement" was securely anchored in both the mountain of debt they accumulated that would make the Blue Mountains seem diminutive and the wanton waste of taxpayers' money that is now responsible for the woeful want around the country.
We have made some progress as a country, but the truth is that we have regressed more than we have progressed over the last 47 years and if we are honest with ourselves, we cannot deny this inescapable truth. We now have a situation where about 56 cents of every dollar of revenue are dedicated toward debt-servicing. The national debt is hovering at $1 trillion; earnings from bauxite and tourism are down; unemployment is up, and schools, hospitals, and road infrastructure are in retreat. The fiscal deficit inches up by the minute and the government is facing a financing gap of US$1.2 billion for this fiscal year. But, there is also a huge socio-cultural deficit, which no short-term concessional loan can correct, as hopelessness blankets the faces of young people.
Given the current economic crisis, the government has decided to re-engage the International Monetary Fund for a three-year US$1.2 billion loan programme. I am not sanguine, except for the near-term cash flow impact that Jamaica's return to the IMF will accrue lasting economic benefits. I believe, however, that we are missing another "ripe opportunity" to recalibrate and restructure the country's economic and financial systems, beginning with restructuring the national debt, right-sizing the public sector, stimulating traditional and non-traditional agricultural production and increasing productivity. None of these measures will work without a commitment from all concerned to embrace the principle and reality of shared sacrifice.
In combination with other initiatives, but as a medium- to long-term solution, I am suggesting that Jamaica reclaim its independence, and like 13 states in the United States of America, legalise the growth and distribution of medical marijuana. This could help people suffering from skeleton pains associated with arthritis and glaucoma, and could provide employment and a steady flow of revenue to the government. Some will argue correctly, that "the ends may not always justify the means", without ever once mentioning the tobacco industry. And Jamaica could go even further and decriminalise the limited use of marijuana for religious and recreational purposes.
According to Dr Jon Gettman, George Mason University, in a 2006 study: "Marijuana is the largest cash crop in the US, production was valued at US$35.8 billion, and there were 56.4 million marijuana plants in cultivation in 2005 and over 22.2 million pounds of marijuana produced in the US." Just recently, about 80 per cent of voters in Oakland, California, chose to impose a tax on Oakland's medical marijuana facilities. These facilities would have to pay about US$18 in taxes for every US$1,000 in marijuana sales.
Jamaica has a reputation for producing the best of everything, including marijuana. With modern and efficient law enforcement and "join-up" facilities, Jamaica's earnings from the production and distribution of medical marijuana and its by-products could topple annual bauxite sales, when marketed as a health and recuperative tourism product. The potential for foreign exchange earnings could be phenomenal. And it does not stop there: money currently earmarked for law enforcement to eradicate, prosecute, adjudicate and rehabilitate could go towards fighting serious crime and violence. I have never been able to reconcile our fixation with destroying that which we do well, without noticing that the same hands that help to kill our marijuana production are legally immobile in their own jurisdictions where marijuana farms are several thousand times larger than those in Jamaica.
Burnscg@aol.com
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