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I have a Rasta friend in JA who said that during the Michael Manley
administration in the 1970s, one would not be prosecuted for ganja possession
if the ganja amounted to less than a quarter ounce.
Can anybody confirm or deny this? I wonder whether there was an unofficial
understanding on the subject; somehow, I doubt that this was an "official"
policy, i.e. written into law. But since I don't know anything at all about
the JA government's policy and actions regarding ganja, I thank anyone in the
group who can inform me on the subject.
--mjk
pupa...@my-deja.com
8/1/00
This was never an official policy to the best of my knowledge, and I
really doubt if it was an unoffical one either. I think the laws
regarding ganja have always been idiosyncratically enforced in Jamaica
under both the JLP and the PNP. Sometimes you can bribe your way out of
a bust with pounds in your possession and other times you can get put
away for less than a spliff's worth.
To a large extent, one has to realize the degree to which the police
are a force unto themselves in Jamaica. While overarching policies and
leadership of the force are set by the ruling government, the police
have always been semi-autonomous from political control. Even the the
force itself is divided into political camps and numerous quasi-
independent gang like structures. As everyone knows some of the biggest
ganja dealers are police!
Although I have no hard evidence, the feeling I've gotten over the
years from talking to dozens of ganjamen is that the PNP tended to let
the small growers profilerate a bit more than the JLP, who tended to
form partnerships with larger growers at the expense of small time
jugglers. This history is largely untold and unresearched as far as I
know, however.
Norman Stolzoff
- show quoted text -
Bjahn1
8/2/00
<< Although I have no hard evidence, the feeling I've gotten over the
years from talking to dozens of ganjamen is that the PNP tended to let
the small growers profilerate a bit more than the JLP, who tended to
form partnerships with larger growers at the expense of small time
jugglers. >>
years ago a guy from the US who lived in JA, and was one of the biggest
ganjamen on the north coast made the mistake of donating a huge sum of $$ to
the JLP/ Seaga re-election campaign. When Seaga came back again to ask for
more $$ the guy declined and Seaga had him arressted and deported, and he went
to jail in the US on outstanding warents.
The usual practice today is for the eradication squads to burn MOST of a
growers ganja, leaving some so the grower can still make $$ to pay off the
corupt officials and this is grudgingly accepted by the growers, given a choice
between jail or a pay-off to stay in business.
Rastas can posessfrom a 1/4lb to a lb for personal consumption (depending on
the officer) and get away with it. A few years ago I saw this Rasta who was in
court being charged with possesion of 5 lbs. and the Judge gave him a J$3000
fine(about US$60. at the time) because he wore a suit to court the judge was
impressed
"Since you show respect to the court in your manner of dress the fine will
be......" I thought that was pretty interesting. He could of got a year or more
in jail.. There is also a sign outside the courtroom that says "NO Dancehall
Clothes Allowed"
BJ
NoNiceTime
8/2/00
Manley probaly made that unwritten law to gain respect of the people. He always
made promises to legalize the herb but it never came about. Peter Tosh called
him on this during the famous one love concert and we all know what happen
after that.
Allen Kaatz
8/2/00
Some people cynically referred to the Manley govt. as the Marijuana
party, Seaga's JLP as the cocaine party.
Al
Harald Hammarstr|m
8/11/00
The excellent "Ganja in Jamaica" by Vera Rubin has a history of the
ganja laws in JA and mentions no such official policy. But it's
printed in 1975 so something may have happened under PNP after
that. It does have some hard evidence of Manley's acting against
the harder ganja laws that came about before the 70s, but he was
alone in arguing against them and so the laws were severed in
several steps, ever since the 40s. It seems the press had worked
everyone up with horror ganja stories and i suppose there was always
the pressure from the USA but I don't remember if that was an
argument properly laid out in the book or if it's something i heard
elsewhere. I just made a post saying barrett's book instead of
Chevannes' book so be careful about what my memory thinks :-) (my
ganja smoking has nothing to do with that though)
mvh
Harald
> This was never an official policy to the best of my knowledge, and I
> really doubt if it was an unoffical one either. I think the laws
> regarding ganja have always been idiosyncratically enforced in Jamaica
> under both the JLP and the PNP. Sometimes you can bribe your way out of
> a bust with pounds in your possession and other times you can get put
> away for less than a spliff's worth.
>
> To a large extent, one has to realize the degree to which the police
> are a force unto themselves in Jamaica. While overarching policies and
> leadership of the force are set by the ruling government, the police
> have always been semi-autonomous from political control. Even the the
> force itself is divided into political camps and numerous quasi-
> independent gang like structures. As everyone knows some of the biggest
> ganja dealers are police!
>
> Although I have no hard evidence, the feeling I've gotten over the
> years from talking to dozens of ganjamen is that the PNP tended to let
> the small growers profilerate a bit more than the JLP, who tended to
> form partnerships with larger growers at the expense of small time
> jugglers. This history is largely untold and unresearched as far as I
> know, however.
>
administration in the 1970s, one would not be prosecuted for ganja possession
if the ganja amounted to less than a quarter ounce.
Can anybody confirm or deny this? I wonder whether there was an unofficial
understanding on the subject; somehow, I doubt that this was an "official"
policy, i.e. written into law. But since I don't know anything at all about
the JA government's policy and actions regarding ganja, I thank anyone in the
group who can inform me on the subject.
--mjk
pupa...@my-deja.com
8/1/00
This was never an official policy to the best of my knowledge, and I
really doubt if it was an unoffical one either. I think the laws
regarding ganja have always been idiosyncratically enforced in Jamaica
under both the JLP and the PNP. Sometimes you can bribe your way out of
a bust with pounds in your possession and other times you can get put
away for less than a spliff's worth.
To a large extent, one has to realize the degree to which the police
are a force unto themselves in Jamaica. While overarching policies and
leadership of the force are set by the ruling government, the police
have always been semi-autonomous from political control. Even the the
force itself is divided into political camps and numerous quasi-
independent gang like structures. As everyone knows some of the biggest
ganja dealers are police!
Although I have no hard evidence, the feeling I've gotten over the
years from talking to dozens of ganjamen is that the PNP tended to let
the small growers profilerate a bit more than the JLP, who tended to
form partnerships with larger growers at the expense of small time
jugglers. This history is largely untold and unresearched as far as I
know, however.
Norman Stolzoff
- show quoted text -
Bjahn1
8/2/00
<< Although I have no hard evidence, the feeling I've gotten over the
years from talking to dozens of ganjamen is that the PNP tended to let
the small growers profilerate a bit more than the JLP, who tended to
form partnerships with larger growers at the expense of small time
jugglers. >>
years ago a guy from the US who lived in JA, and was one of the biggest
ganjamen on the north coast made the mistake of donating a huge sum of $$ to
the JLP/ Seaga re-election campaign. When Seaga came back again to ask for
more $$ the guy declined and Seaga had him arressted and deported, and he went
to jail in the US on outstanding warents.
The usual practice today is for the eradication squads to burn MOST of a
growers ganja, leaving some so the grower can still make $$ to pay off the
corupt officials and this is grudgingly accepted by the growers, given a choice
between jail or a pay-off to stay in business.
Rastas can posessfrom a 1/4lb to a lb for personal consumption (depending on
the officer) and get away with it. A few years ago I saw this Rasta who was in
court being charged with possesion of 5 lbs. and the Judge gave him a J$3000
fine(about US$60. at the time) because he wore a suit to court the judge was
impressed
"Since you show respect to the court in your manner of dress the fine will
be......" I thought that was pretty interesting. He could of got a year or more
in jail.. There is also a sign outside the courtroom that says "NO Dancehall
Clothes Allowed"
BJ
NoNiceTime
8/2/00
Manley probaly made that unwritten law to gain respect of the people. He always
made promises to legalize the herb but it never came about. Peter Tosh called
him on this during the famous one love concert and we all know what happen
after that.
Allen Kaatz
8/2/00
Some people cynically referred to the Manley govt. as the Marijuana
party, Seaga's JLP as the cocaine party.
Al
Harald Hammarstr|m
8/11/00
The excellent "Ganja in Jamaica" by Vera Rubin has a history of the
ganja laws in JA and mentions no such official policy. But it's
printed in 1975 so something may have happened under PNP after
that. It does have some hard evidence of Manley's acting against
the harder ganja laws that came about before the 70s, but he was
alone in arguing against them and so the laws were severed in
several steps, ever since the 40s. It seems the press had worked
everyone up with horror ganja stories and i suppose there was always
the pressure from the USA but I don't remember if that was an
argument properly laid out in the book or if it's something i heard
elsewhere. I just made a post saying barrett's book instead of
Chevannes' book so be careful about what my memory thinks :-) (my
ganja smoking has nothing to do with that though)
mvh
Harald
> This was never an official policy to the best of my knowledge, and I
> really doubt if it was an unoffical one either. I think the laws
> regarding ganja have always been idiosyncratically enforced in Jamaica
> under both the JLP and the PNP. Sometimes you can bribe your way out of
> a bust with pounds in your possession and other times you can get put
> away for less than a spliff's worth.
>
> To a large extent, one has to realize the degree to which the police
> are a force unto themselves in Jamaica. While overarching policies and
> leadership of the force are set by the ruling government, the police
> have always been semi-autonomous from political control. Even the the
> force itself is divided into political camps and numerous quasi-
> independent gang like structures. As everyone knows some of the biggest
> ganja dealers are police!
>
> Although I have no hard evidence, the feeling I've gotten over the
> years from talking to dozens of ganjamen is that the PNP tended to let
> the small growers profilerate a bit more than the JLP, who tended to
> form partnerships with larger growers at the expense of small time
> jugglers. This history is largely untold and unresearched as far as I
> know, however.
>
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