US BACKLASH AGAINST GANJA

Embassy Official Warns Of Decertification

Government could be setting itself up for a major diplomatic backlash,
mainly from the United States, if it accepts the recommendation of the
Barry Chevannes-chaired National Commission on Ganja to decriminalise the
use of the herb for private, personal use.

Responding to the Commission's report which recommended an end to sanctions
for private, personal use of marijuana in small quantities, a US Embassy
official yesterday stated that the Government of the United States does not
support decriminalisation, and indicated that the island's final decision
on the matter would be subjected to intense scrutiny.

"The US administration opposes the decriminalisation of marijuana use,"
said embassy spokesman, Michael Koplovsky, in a terse response to queries
about their position given international agreements signed with Jamaica.

"The US Government will consider Jamaica's adherence to its commitments
under the 1988 UN Drug Convention when making its determination under the
annual narcotics certification review," he said.

This means that Jamaica, the biggest ganja-growing and exporting country in
the region, is likely to be denied certification from the US Government as
a country making efforts to fight against illegal drugs in accordance with
the objectives of the UN Drug Convention. Jamaica became a party to the
Convention in 1995.

Certification is an annually renewable stamp of approval identifying
countries as having co-operated fully with the United States government in
the war on drugs, or having taken adequate steps on their own to achieve
full compliance with the goals established by the Convention.

Countries which do not receive certification and those that are decertified
lose most of their foreign assistance from the United States, and the US is
required to vote against any assistance to that country from major
multilateral lending agencies, including the World Bank, the Inter-American
Development bank and the IMF.

Sociologist Dr. Dennis Forsythe last night denounced the threat of
decertification as an attack on Jamaica's sovereignty, typical of US big
stick diplomacy and hypocrisy.

Dr. Forsythe, who won a landmark victory in the Constitutional Court in
1997 which acknowledged his right to possess and use marijuana for
religious purposes under Section 21 of the Constitution, said
decriminalisation will "satisfy a basic need of the Jamaican people" and
will not infringe on the rights of others because cannabis will not be
exported.

"This is a domestic affair. It is a recommendation for self-help, not to
export ganja, so we are not imposing it on anybody," he told The Gleaner.

"The Commission's recommendation is in keeping with the sentiments of the
Jamaican people. If America is so much for democracy then to deny us
certification because of this is in flagrant breach of such principles," he
said.

Among its list of its recommendations to Prime Minister P. J. Patterson,
the Ganja Commission advised that urgent diplomatic initiatives be embarked
upon with foreign countries to elicit support for Jamaica's stance on the
drug and to influence other countries to re-examine its status.