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Jamaica To Consider Decriminalization Bill
Drug Policy Alliance | 07/28/2005

A Jamaican government official has announced that the country will consider a bill to reform its marijuana laws during the coming legislative session. Dr. Morais Guy, Chair of the Joint Select Committee of the Houses of Parliament on the National Commission on Ganja, made the announcement on a radio show this week in the wake of growing pressure in the form of newspaper articles, letters to the editor, and talk radio discussions demanding that the government take action. The bill, which would decriminalize marijuana for private use, was supposed to have been debated starting in early 2004 when the Joint Select Committee approved recommendations to move towards decriminalization.

The 2004 approval came after many reform advocates, including Alliance Executive Director Ethan Nadelmann, testified before the committee in support of a 2001 report by the National Commission on Ganja that recommended decriminalization of many marijuana-related offenses.

The Coalition for Ganja Law Reform in Jamaica is planning a strategy meeting at the end of August in preparation for the upcoming legislative session.

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