THE Medical Association of Jamaica (MAJ) has slammed the focus on profits instead of studying the benefits of marijuana since its decriminalisation two years ago.

"The decriminalisation of marijuana should provide a stimulus for further research into the beneficial uses of marijuana. It should allow us to research the long-term negative effects of marijuana such as the effects on our lungs. It should also allow us to reap the benefits of the reputation of Jamaican marijuana. However, the discussions seem to have taken a turn for the worse, with the rhetoric focusing more on outselling our competitors without due consideration for potential adverse effects on our people, especially our youth," the MAJ said in a release yesterday.

The MAJ was suported by executive director of the National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA), Michael Tucker. "There has to be a balance in everything that is being done. There is a way in which the cannabis industry can be beneficial not just in terms of money, but also in terms of treatment of people. At the same time, there are some people who are ignoring what reality is and just focusing on the money. That is a recipe for disaster. You may end up worst off instead of better off from it if it’s not done properly, so the MAJ is right," Tucker told the Jamaica Observer yesterday.

According to the most recent data from the NCDA, over the past two years there has been a 50 per cent increase in children seeking medical treatment after using marijuana.

The medical doctors, meanwhile, want more stringent regulations to prevent abuse and a "free for all" attitude in the burgeoning medical marijuana industry. "The policy framework must expressly prohibit the use of marijuana by minors, and provide stiff penalties for those found guilty of providing it to minors and sanctions/penalties for minors caught using it. These sanctions need not involve custodial sentences or impact on their police records, provided they are not severely and repeatedly breaking the laws," said the MAJ.

The association said the legislation needs to go further to protect those who opt to use marijuana. "There is enough evidence to suggest that marijuana use dulls reflexes and impairs judgement and concentration. The policy on marijuana needs to also establish the safe levels for operating machinery since it may impact on reaction times," the group said.

The MAJ also proposed that with proper regulation, a tax should be applied against marijuana as is done for alcohol and tobacco. The proceeds, it said, should, however, be channelled specifically into health care and health research.

The association has also called for a major public education campaign around the legalisation of small quantities of ganja.

The NCDA has already proposed a comprehensive public education campaign to the Cabinet subcommittee on ganja, but Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton, in his sectoral debate presentation in Parliament last year, said that the of the $321 million needed for the initiative only 20 per cent was received and spent.

He said the Ministry of Health was the only ministry that had contributed significantly to the campaign, with additional funding from the United States Embassy. No allocation has been made in this year’s budget, but Tucker said the minister has given an undertaking to source funding to assist with the continued roll-out of the programme. He said some activities have taken place so far, but there is much more that needs to be done.

Tufton also told the House that, based on the findings of the NCDA, there needs to be a comprehensive "relook" and implementation of the amendments to the Dangerous Drugs Act, the impact it is having and will have on the health services, and that funding be urgently put in place to ensure a robust prevention and control programme in this regard.

Yesterday, Generation 2000 (G2K), the young professional affiliate of the Jamaica Labour Party, said in a release that all government ministries and agencies should work effectively together in building out a medical, therapeutic and scientific-based cannabis industry, while promoting a strong and balanced public education campaign that outlines both the benefits and risks associated with the plant.

"After the amendments to the Dangerous Drugs Act in 2015, thereby allowing for the development of an industry, no stone should be left unturned in ensuring that it be made a reality. Several countries, including our neighbour the Cayman Islands, have rushed past Jamaica in an industry that Jamaica has a natural advantage," said G2K Vice-President Edson Z Carr.

Another G2K executive, President Stephen Edwards, said: "No public official should be allowed to stand in the way of the industry’s careful development and what was a manifesto commitment by the ruling Jamaica Labour Party in the 2016 election campaign. High-level public official(s) who are overwhelmingly resistant to the achievement of the Administration’s goals and objectives should come under immediate review."