Medical ganja firm to launch in Jamaica
(CNS): A well-known Jamaican scientist will be launching the country’s first ever medical marijuana company tomorrow, which has the backing of Jamaica's health minister. Professor Henry Lowe, the doctor behind the initiative, has high hopes for the useof medical marijuana in Jamaica. "If we do not move on medical marijuana, we will be left behind," Lowe told The Gleaner. "Since the turn of the 21st century, there has been increased recognition and public support for medical marijuana." The news comes as a campaign in Cayman to examine the legalization of the plant for medical purposes is attracting wide support here, although so far the politicians have shied away from the discussion.
Following the news of Lowe’s plans to begin work on creating legal medicines from the plant and list the company on the Jamaica Stock Exchange, Burns Connolly, who created the Facebook page Cannabis Cayman, said that the news in Jamaica was a reflection of where things are moving.
“What we are seeing here and worldwide is the tipping point on this medicine and even on recreational use,” he said. “It is now just a matter of time.”
A recent straw poll on CNS, in which more than 500 people voted, only 7% said the drug should remain illegal. 80% said it should be legalized for both medical and recreational and 14% agreed it should be a lawful medicine.
Jamaica joins a number of other countries that are now looking much more closely at the use of ganja as amedicine. Prior to the criminalization of the use of the plant in the US, cannabis was a major ingredient in many medicinal remedies, with strong anecdotal evidence of its healing properties.
Its illegal status has done little to prevent its use as a recreational drug but it has made it very difficult for many law abiding citizens to obtain, even when they have found it is the only thing that has a positive impact on their illness of pain. However, the tide does appear to be turning, and with increasing scientific evidence supporting its medical properties and the gradual legalisation of the drug in many US states, opinion is changing.
With the establishment of his medical research company, Lowe will be placing Jamaica at the forefront of the development of what is likely to prove an exceptionally lucrative industry in the very near future.
“We are going to announce the establishment of a company that will produce and market medical marijuana. The formal announcement will take place on December 3, ahead of the launch of a book on the subject," Professor Lowe stated in the Gleaner.
Health Minister Dr Fenton Ferguson said he fully supports the use of ganja for medicinal purposes. "Jamaica can't lock off itself from the rest of the world or the research findings that are available. I want that to be very, very clear, that when it comes to medical marijuana, I am fully on board," said the minister.
A recent poll in Jamaica revealed that more than one-third of Jamaicans who use ganja as medicine informed their doctors about the practice, and half of the time the doctor approved the continued use of the drug for treatment.
Category: Health
There is no need for weed in Cayman, do NOT legalize it. Let Jamaica do what it wants to and Cayman do what it has to!
I recently had a friend who died of intestinal cancer. He suffered horribly and took many prescription drugs to ease his pain. In his final months he started smoking marijuana and although it could not cure his illness it certainly eased his pain ànd let him live out his final days with a sense of relaxed normality. 100% behind the legalized medical use of this drug.
I recall hearing that they used to farm weed legally here back in the day. Is that true?
When that well-known Jamaican scientist have children and see what a simple "spliff" can do to a family then he can talk. If weed is the cure for everything why is every weed head so obviously stupid and drugged up looking? Ganja serves no purpose other than to get high. When you high everything seems good and irie. When the high leaves you, you still have the cancer, you still have the knife wound, and you still have the disease. Then you want more and each time you want the high to last longer. Morphine does the same thing. All of a sudden this drug addicts are expert doctors and claim to have cure for everything, Weed for this, weed for that. Did you know that water tablets can do the same thing with some good counseling? Stop this ratid talk about legalizing Ganja. I have no use for it. I do not want my children to experiment with it. Stop trying to destroy families for a high. If you don’t know, ask the victims, which are the parents of these zoned out children and big grown hard back men that are zoned the hell out of reality. Smoke your weed, keep it all for yourself. I do not need it. Let me ask something, If weed was so darn good, why did a good Bob Marley dead so soon in life? Weed/ganja did not save him from anything. And don’t tell me he dead because he only had one draw. Find something else to fight for in life, not fight to become a zombie.
Bob Marley smoke spliffs. Smoking of ny kind can be harmful to the body regardless of the substance over time. However, there are ways you can ingest cannabis which is HEALTHY for the body according to medical journals in the USA, Canada & UK. For example, vaporizing marijuana is the healthiest and most potent method of extracting it's medicinal value.
Do some research, ignorant.
Overuse = looking like shit!
I had an ex-boyfriend who casually smoked weed. He always tried to hide it from me because back then I made such a huge deal over it but I found out anyway. It made him calm, mellow and occasionally say some dumb shit but looking at him, you'd never know he smoked it and he was very smart too. I feel differently about the herb nowadays and see nothing wrong with smoking it nonchalantly or for medicinal purposes.
You are so right. Jamaica has so many people who have died and are dying now with cancer; colon, prostate etc. If it is so good for your health why are the statitics on these diseases so high. The only persons benefitting from medical marijuana are the ones who are dispensing/selling it.. Caynman does not need that , we have enough zombies already!!
Smart move by the Jamaicans, and I hope that the other Sister Islands will also consider such an entriguing move. It is past time that our Caymanian politicians wake up and realise that this is going to soon be a billion dollar industry, and they shouldnt miss out on this booming business. America has also woke up to realise that this is the way to the future and they see a market that will be ten times bigger than facebook or google put together, and then that's where investors will come in.
Marijuanna does'nt give you cancer, it is consider to be a healing substance. It is good for cancer, tubercolocis, asthma, pains, and other serious medical problems. Another thing, please stop putting the little man in jail because he smokes a little joint , it is a waste of government money for that money could be spend on your Caymanian people, and more space is needed for serious offenders like, murderers, rapist and child molesters. With that being said, legalise marjuanna and just continue to spread the love!
Do we really have to follow everything that Jamaica does. Thank God we did not follow them with Independence. I believe in following the Leader. What an excuse to use ganja.
Your ignorance is amusing. Please educate yourself on this topic before posting, and also look at the "bigger picture"; if you can.
Your excuse to promote ganja is even more amuzing. Anyhow we are not all followers. Mostly alganja soers in Caymandie from cancer. How is that?
Do you read your comments before posting?
It's a-mus-ing (with an 's').
Clearly you don't need to smoke as you are already short of a few brain cells.
Peace.
Many Jamaicans will suddenly become sick and ppl from all over the world (Cayman included) will want to go to Jamaica for medical assistance. This was a smart move by JA! How di song go " gimme di weed and mek mi meditate"
What a lovely plant!
It's weird. Normally Caymanian politicians sing like canaries about matters they're no experts about. Yet, when the ganja discussion is around they're harder to find than Waldo for a comment….
Unless the politicians here are talking about it, Cayman and Cannabis will never move forward and its economic and medicinal benefit will not be reaped.
This is Cayman. Let me tell you how it will play out here. After Jamaica, and the rest of the world for that matter, tap into the medical market and has established a market base….we will then attempt to talk about it. This will lead to years and years of "discussion" as there is inward fighting and rambling on who will get inside deals and which "prestigious family" will control it. THEN we will pay someone from Jamaica (or someone from somewhere else) a ton of money to tell us how to smoke weed in a "medical manner". After we have spent and wasted time and money on dragging our feet on the issue, then AND ONLY THEN, will we get to the point ofactually making it availiable for medical purposes.
I couldn't decide between "LOL" and thumbs up, but the truth is … both. Your overview will probably be the path through which these islands travel; we are never near the cutting edge of change, but that doesn't mean we can't rise …. for once.
This issue should't be decided upon history gone, but upon the future to come.
I seem to have developed a terrible headache.