LET'S RECLAIM OUR INDEPENDENCE AND LEGALISE MARIJUANA

Forty-seven years in the life of any nation is relatively short; yet
years of social blight and economic underperformance can make those
years seem eternal. For when Jamaica gained political independence
from Britain in 1962, it was achieved on the premise that political
independence would empower us not only to embrace the freedom that
came with self-government, but also to help us actualise the
opportunities it offered to develop and maintain a prosperous,
well-organised, and orderly society.

Therefore, it was the beliefs, desires and intentions of the
architects of political independence for the country to use the
freedom, the rights and responsibilities that came with such, as
springboards toward achieving social progress and economic
independence for the majority.

In fairness, the country experienced social order, economic
development and growth during the first five years following the
Declaration of Independence.

However, there have been serious structural defects in the way that
the Jamaican economic and social systems operate.

A sad consequence of this lopsided socio-economic apparatus has been
the lasting legacy of economic inequality and social marginalisation,
both of which are responsible for the structure we now have - one
which is bitterly broken, uncompetitive, polarised, underdeveloped,
woefully uneducated and marginally productive.

Undoubtedly, there is enough blame to go around, with leftovers to
fill the Mona Reservoir. But as appealing as it may seem to some,
shifting responsibility and apportioning blame, however worthy,
cannot earn Jamaica one extra cent in revenue to help offset the
enormous debt that successive governments have accumulated in the
name of our children and their children's children.

Simply put, we have an obligation to reclaim our independence by
demanding that our government pursue the best sets of policies -
those that will eventually lead to prosperity and happiness for all.

As we reclaim our independence, we have to start at the point of
honesty. Starting at the point of honesty demands serious
introspection, because we have not been good stewards of our affairs.

Our political leaders are mostly wimps who do not have a clue how to
distinguish between power and authority, and to this day, cannot
manage the differences between the two. Worst of all, some of them
are very adept at spewing rhetorical flourishes, but are equally
inept at demonstrating the requisite testicular fortitude when
certain circumstances demand no less. Yet, they continue to talk ad
nauseam about possessing political will, but sadly they cannot
differentiate between political will and a bulla.

Take the current political crop, for example: For months, while the
entire world was in an economic tailspin, our beloved Prime Minister
Bruce Golding, talked up the virtues of the rigid commitment of the
Jamaican diaspora to send remittances; as if they controlled the
Federal Reserves monetary system and could print and send money to
Jamaica as they have a wish. Give me a break! Then, to add insult to
injury, his finance minister, Audley Shaw, barricaded himself behind
an everlasting wall of denial, peeping and shouting out only when he
had something dumber to say about the prevailing economic crisis.

Those before them were no wiser either, because for the better part
of 18 years, their definition of "solid achievement" was securely
anchored in both the mountain of debt they accumulated that would
make the Blue Mountains seem diminutive and the wanton waste of
taxpayers' money that is now responsible for the woeful want around
the country.

We have made some progress as a country, but the truth is that we
have regressed more than we have progressed over the last 47 years
and if we are honest with ourselves, we cannot deny this inescapable truth.

We now have a situation where about 56 cents of every dollar of
revenue are dedicated toward debt-servicing. The national debt is
hovering at $1 trillion; earnings from bauxite and tourism are down;
unemployment is up, and schools, hospitals, and road infrastructure
are in retreat.

The fiscal deficit inches up by the minute and the government is
facing a financing gap of US$1.2 billion for this fiscal year. But,
there is also a huge socio-cultural deficit, which no short-term
concessional loan can correct, as hopelessness blankets the faces of
young people.

Given the current economic crisis, the government has decided to
re-engage the International Monetary Fund for a three-year US$1.2
billion loan programme. I am not sanguine, except for the near-term
cash flow impact that Jamaica's return to the IMF will accrue lasting
economic benefits.

I believe, however, that we are missing another "ripe opportunity" to
recalibrate and restructure the country's economic and financial
systems, beginning with restructuring the national debt, right-sizing
the public sector, stimulating traditional and non-traditional
agricultural production and increasing productivity. None of these
measures will work without a commitment from all concerned to embrace
the principle and reality of shared sacrifice.

In combination with other initiatives, but as a medium-to long-term
solution, I am suggesting that Jamaica reclaim its independence, and
like 13 states in the United States of America, legalise the growth
and distribution of medical marijuana.

This could help people suffering from skeleton pains associated with
arthritis and glaucoma, and could provide employment and a steady
flow of revenue to the government. Some will argue correctly, that
"the ends may not always justify the means", without ever once
mentioning the tobacco industry.

And Jamaica could go even further and decriminalise the limited use
of marijuana for religious and recreational purposes.

According to Dr Jon Gettman, George Mason University, in a 2006
study: "Marijuana is the largest cash crop in the US, production was
valued at US$35.8 billion, and there were 56.4 million marijuana
plants in cultivation in 2005 and over 22.2 million pounds of
marijuana produced in the US." Just recently, about 80 per cent of
voters in Oakland, California, chose to impose a tax on Oakland's
medical marijuana facilities. These facilities would have to pay
about US$18 in taxes for every US$1,000 in marijuana sales.

Jamaica has a reputation for producing the best of everything,
including marijuana. With modern and efficient law enforcement and
"join-up" facilities, Jamaica's earnings from the production and
distribution of medical marijuana and its by-products could topple
annual bauxite sales, when marketed as a health and recuperative
tourism product.

The potential for foreign exchange earnings could be phenomenal.

And it does not stop there: money currently earmarked for law
enforcement to eradicate, prosecute, adjudicate and rehabilitate
could go towards fighting serious crime and violence.

I have never been able to reconcile our fixation with destroying that
which we do well, without noticing that the same hands that help to
kill our marijuana production are legally immobile in their own
jurisdictions where marijuana farms are several thousand times larger
than those in Jamaica.