The Ganja Law, or Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act 2015, was passed by

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

's Houses of Parliament in February 2015. The law went into effect on April 15, 2015, making possession of or less of

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...

a "non-arrestable, ticketable offence, that attracts no criminal record". Jis.gov claims "It also puts in place, regulations for marijuana use by persons of the

Rastafarian Rastafari, sometimes called Rastafarianism, is a religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by scholars of religion. There is no central authority in control ...

faith and for medical, therapeutic and scientific purposes, including development of a legal industry for

industrial hemp Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial or medicinal use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest growing plants o ...

and medical marijuana." Earlier revisions of the laws were critiqued for being unduly harsh on citizens. A 1913 law passed to conform to the

International Opium Convention The expression International Opium Convention refers either to the first International Opium Convention signed at The Hague in 1912, or to the second International Opium Convention signed at Geneva in 1925. First International Opium Convention ...

unilaterally added cannabis, and was seen as "fear of the black population". For instance, the 1964 ganja law was considered to be punitive towards poor people, as were the 1963 and 1965 laws regarding flogging.

References

2015 in cannabis 2015 in Jamaica Cannabis in Jamaica Law of Jamaica Cannabis law {{Jamaica-stub