Ganja rallying on the stock exchange

Dennie Quill, Columnist

Local Rastas have, for many years, touted the benefits of the 'herb' known to the world as marijuana, ganja, weed or cannabis. But it is illegal, and, over time, scores of individuals have been hauled before the courts and imprisoned for smoking ganja.

As a child growing up in the country, there was always a bottle neatly tucked away in a cupboard which contained ganja leaves steeped in white rum. This 'medicine' was the remedy for a variety of ailments from headache to period pains. But it was illegal.

Jamaican scientists have been celebrated for developing eye treatments using the weed - but it remains illegal. Many years ago, a high-level committee was established under the chairmanship of the late Professor Barry Chevannes to consider the merits and demerits of decriminalising ganja. Its recommendations have not filtered into the public square and ganja has remained illegal.

Recently, I have become fascinated by the way in which the concept of legal and illegal marijuana are intertwined in today's world. In fact, the lines are so blurred it is somewhat confusing. Consider this scenario: A legislator in the American Congress could be puffing away on his medical marijuana cigarette while a Senate committee could be considering imposing sanctions against a ganja-producing country like Jamaica. Something is not right with that picture.

Already, 17 states of the US and the District of Columbia, where the seat of power resides, permit the use of medical marijuana for various ailments. Patients with cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS and Alzheimer's can obtain marijuana from non-profit dispensaries with a doctor's recommendation. They also could grow their own if they live far from a dispensary. Each patient is entitled to 1.5lb of weed annually. But ganja is illegal.

LEARN FROM ISRAEL

Take Israel. Marijuana is illegal there, too. However, medical use has been permitted since the 1990s for cancer patients and others with pain-related illnesses such as Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis. A total of 10,000 patients now have permission to use medical marijuana. And the latest news is that Israel's Ministry of Health is considering the distribution of medical marijuana through pharmacies by 2013.

Dr Bruce Bedrick, who is CEO of Kind Clinics and Medbox in the US, says: "Thanks to this new legislation, thousands of seriously ill patients will benefit from having safe, reliable and legal access to a medicine that helps them cope with their suffering." Sounds to me like the Rastas have been making this point for many years.

So while ganja remains illegal, it is spinning into a huge money-making business. Patients can smoke the drug, ingest it in liquid form, or use it as a balm. Additionally, there are companies like one based in Denver, Colorado, which specialises in the production and distribution of food, beverages and other products made from ganja. Led by its flagship line of THC-laced sparkling beverages, items include chocolate truffles, crispy rice treats, fruit lozenges, capsules and droplets.

Anyone who doubts the growth of ganja as a business should consider this: The top three marijuana stocks, Hemp Inc, GrowLife Inc, and Medical Marijuana Inc, known as the 'Tremendous Trio', have shown sensational growth in recent times, ranging from 70 per cent to 188 per cent. There are more than a dozen marijuana stocks currently trading on the stock exchange.

Companies are making heavy investment in ganja research because they have identified this weed as the wave of the future.

Although Jamaica has been known as a ganja-producing country, it's a future in which Jamaica cannot participate. Remember, ganja is illegal, so Jamaica may some day have to import ganja-produced items. Those who have ears let them hear!

Dennie Quill is a veteran journalist. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and denniequill@hotmail.com.