HOLY HERB: Reggae singer Macka B is backing the legalisation of weed–
INTERNATIONAL REGGAE artist Macka B is hailing the Jamaican government’s plans to legalise marijuana as a breakthrough after decades of campaigning for the decriminalisation of what Rastafari people call the “holy herb.”
The award-winning musician and DJ, born Christopher MacFarlane in Wolverhampton, has for more than 30 years advocated for the legalisation of ganja in his music.
“The world is finally waking up to the fact that marijuana is not as harmful as many substances that are legal,” said Macka, who still plays at concerts across the globe.
“Politicians are slowly wising up to the fact that marijuana in its many forms can be a valuable therapeutic medicine for the terminally ill and those suffering from conditions such as multiple sclerosis, cancer, glaucoma and myeloma.
“This also means it could be an opportunity for Jamaica’s economy to actually benefit from the marijuana industry with its decriminalisation for scientific and medicinal purposes.”
The Jamaican cabinet is currently supporting a proposal to allow possession of up to two ounces (57 grams) of marijuana and its parliament is expected to approve the changes by September.
But Justice Minister Mark Golding has moved quickly to stress the proposed legal changes are not intended to promote the use of ganja for recreational purposes. It is to be decriminalised solely for religious, medicinal and scientific purposes.
Peter Bunting, Jamaica’s security minister, highlighted the proposals when he spoke at the national UK Jamaican Diaspora Conference in Birmingham last month.
He said it would remove the situation where young boys ended up with a criminal record, which made their chances of getting a job virtually impossible, making them prime recruits for gangs. It also clogged up the country’s court system, meaning more serious crimes took much longer to be processed.
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