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Jamaica: Reconvening the ganja committee

Anthony Gomes

Jamaica Observer

Wednesday 25 Apr 2007

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The National Commission on Ganja Committee which has been dormant for
the past four years is to be resurrected. One might ask how much more
taxpayers' money and valuable time it will take for the committee to
realise the folly of proceeding with this inconsequential issue.

Since the committee's last report four years ago, ganja has morphed into
"skunk" that is reported to be 15 times stronger than the cannabis of
earlier times.

Doctors and drug experts are warning that "skunk" can be as damaging as
cocaine and heroin leading to mental health problems and psychosis for
thousands of users. The NHS National Treatment Agency in the UK reported
that the number of young people in treatment almost doubled from about
5000 in 2005 to 9600 in 2006, and 13000 adults also needed treatment.
These authoritative figures are startling, and should be urgently
investigated by the committee before proceeding with any further
deliberations.

"The skunk smoked by the majority of young Britons bears no relation to
traditional cannabis resin with a 25-fold increase in the amount of the
main psychoactive ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), typically
found in the early 1990s. New research being published in this week's
Lancet will show how cannabis is more dangerous than LSD and ecstasy."
(The Independent on Sunday, March 18, 2007).

Professor Colin Blakemore, chief of the Medical Research Council in the
UK, who supported the original campaign for cannabis to be
decriminalised, has changed his position. He said: "The link between
cannabis and psychosis is quite clear now. It was not 10 years ago."

As ecstasy has already arrived in quantity in Jamaica, it is reasonable
to expect that "skunk" will shortly also make its debut, if it has not
already done so. It can be assumed too that "skunk" will also be
produced in Jamaica because it is what the drug market requires. Facing
the reality of this new entrant into the drug trade, the committee would
need a new mandate that deals with what should be viewed as a serious
threat to Jamaica's national health.

How is the enthusiastic "spliff" smoker to be differentiated from a
"skunk" user?

Could it be that recent tragic deaths involving ganja, entailed the use
of "skunk" that produces strong ultraviolent reactions? In such cases,
the presence of a strong stimulant that results in the total loss of
reason and self-control could be responsible for the excessively violent
tragic outcome.

Antonio Maria Costa, the executive director of the United Nations office
on drugs and crime, called for people to wake up to the fact that
cannabis is now a dangerous drug wrongly portrayed as a "gentle,
harmless substance". Sir Richard Branson, who is no stranger to Jamaica
and who earlier is reported to have been a supporter of
decriminalisation, said: "The arrival of genetically engineered 'skunk'
has merited a new look at the situation." The committee would do well to
heed his words.

A report published in The Independent on Sunday March 25, 2007 states:
"The evidence is coming in thick and fast. A study published in the
journal Addiction says that by the end of the decade one in four of new
cases of schizophrenia could be triggered by smoking cannabis." Earlier
on, March 18, 2007, The Independent on Sunday reported: "Record numbers
of teenagers are requiring drug treatment as a result of smoking 'skunk'
that is 25 times stronger than resin sold a decade ago.

"More than 22,000 people were treated last year for cannabis addiction -
and almost half of those affected were under 18. With doctors and drug
experts warning that 'skunk' can be as damaging as cocaine and heroin,
leading to mental health problems and psychosis for thousands of
teenagers, The Independent on Sunday has today reversed its landmark
campaign for cannabis use to be decriminalised."

There is sufficient evidence and alarm about the advent of this new
scourge to cause the committee to pause and reflect on its role, and the
possible consequences of proceeding with too much haste in the face of
this new dangerous threat.

With the other enormous problems facing Jamaica today, the relevance of
the committee's purpose pales into insignificance. The time and effort
could be better spent addressing some of the issues that need urgent
attention, which are delaying the growth of the nation's GDP. It should
be recalled that "fools rush in where angels fear to tread".

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/

 

 

 

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