Will Ganja be Saviour?
Over the last two years I have consistently made clear, my opposition to the legalization of Marijuana (Ganja) and I will continue to be vocal on the subject as long as I can.
They should have never even considered bringing this drug to legal status. It should remain, in the underground economy as it always has, regardless, of misguided politicians, and advocates, who promise unrealistic financial windfall. Politicians have become more gullible every day, on the false premise of marijuana being the provider of badly needed revenues to fund Government’s coffers.
If only they could hurry up and legalize another “cure all drug” for whatever ails humanity.
With all of Jamaica’s enormous economic problems, the Government will never be able to provide the manpower, and or, the necessary resources to monitor the sales and distribution of Marijuana, whereby any substantial revenues would be achieved, to ultimately cover any long term financial cost to the nation.
The promised windfall of needed revenues from Marijuana, (Ganja) in my opinion, being pushed on by over-zealous politicians and advocates of a few more dollars.
I hope I am wrong, but I firmly believe, the Government of Jamaica, over the long term will be indebted by about $10 for every, $2 raised in revenues collected, because of the unforeseeable human cost to the nation.
Finally, I recently turned 74 years old, and I want to briefly to share two experiences with Ganja: (1) I took two or three draws from a spliff, after being persuaded by some men with dreadlocks on the beach in Ocho Rios, in late Sept. or early Oct. in 1969. I still remember the high I got and how sick I was, as if it were yesterday. I migrated to the states in December of that year.
(2) On my first return trip to Jamaica, in June 1970, my brother Charlie and I ran into one of our second cousins who was on a month’s long holiday from the UK. That was her last full day in Jamaica, before going home. Our cousin thought she would live it up a little, by going on a marijuana smoking spree. She had nothing to eat prior to her smoking spree.
Our second cousin Eva got so sick; sick enough for her mother to engage the services of a car and driver to take her daughter to a bush doctor, or (Obeah man) because it was alleged, that some unknown enemy had cast evil spells on her, so she wouldn’t return to the UK.
Luckily, my brother Charlie and I quickly sprung into action, by using the experience I had gained from my one and only experience of smoking Marijuana. We convinced, our Aunt Stella, as she is called, that her daughter, Eva actually, needed to be taken to a real doctor, to have the Ganja pumped out of her system, and not to, the Obeah man.