Don’t miss the ganja boat, Ja
Dear Editor,
Regarding Mark Wignall’s thoughtful April 27 column, ‘Will we miss out on the ganja money?’, the clock is ticking, Jamaica, don’t miss the ganja boat.
United States President Barack Obama is allowing marijuana legalisation to move forward. The next president may not be so enlightened. Jamaica would be wise to legalise ganja now before the US starts using its superpower status to bully other nations once again.
It’s not just about opportunistic timing, it’s the right thing to do.
Marijuana prohibition is indefensible. If the goal of marijuana prohibition is to subsidise violent drug cartels, prohibition is a grand success. The drug war distorts supply and demand dynamics so that big money grows on little trees. If the goal is to deter use, marijuana prohibition is a catastrophic failure.
The United States has almost doubled the rate of marijuana use as against the Netherlands where marijuana is legal. The criminalisation of citizens who prefer marijuana to martinis has no basis in science. The war on marijuana consumers is a failed cultural inquisition, not an evidence-based public health campaign.
In Jamaica and all around the world, it’s time to stop the pointless arrests and instead tax legal marijuana.
Robert Sharpe, MPA
rsharpe@csdp.org
