Golding says next PNP Gov’t will overhaul ganja industry thus creating wealth for farmers
ST JAMES, Jamaica— Accusing the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) administration of implementing policies that have destroyed the legal ganja industry, President of the People’s National Party (PNP), Mark Golding said that should his party form the next Government, emphasis will be placed on rebuilding the sector.
The 2015 reform to the Dangerous Drugs Act decriminalised personal possession and use of ganja, recognised Rastafari and their sacramental rights to cultivate and use ganja, and created a platform on which a new medical cannabis industry could be built.
Golding argued that the ganja industry needs to be overhauled to create wealth for small farmers.
“The lawful ganja industry has been ruined by the poor policies and ineffective management of the industry by the Jamaica Labour Party Government. It needs a complete overhaul and we intend to give it that overhaul so that it can be a source of legitimate wealth creation for our farmers, especially small farmers, many of whom built the industry in the shadows and suffered the oppression as a result of prohibition over 100 years, until I and I change the thing in 2015 and made personal use of ganja no more an offence,” Golding said.
“We want to take it to the level because the space has opened up internationally for more initiative in that direction.”
He was speaking over the weekend at the official opening of the PNP St James Central constituency office in Montego Bay.
Janice Allen, an Opposition senator will be trying to unseat the JLP’s Heroy Clarke in the next general election. Clarke has been the sitting Member of Parliament for St James Central since 2016.