COMMITTEE SAYS YES TO SMALL AMOUNTS OF GANJA FOR PRIVATE USE

THE Joint Select Committee examining the report of the National
Commission on Ganja has recommended there be no criminal charge for
use of the drug in small quantities, by adults in private, and that
the law be amended to reflect the changes.

However, the committee, which had its final meeting at Gordon House on
Tuesday, insisted that the use of marijuana in public spaces remains
illegal, and that children especially should be discouraged from using
the drug.

Also, the use of marijuana as a sacrament in religious rites was not
endorsed by the committee as both government and opposition members
felt that such use was not in a private space and could therefore
violate the rights of others who could be exposed to second-hand smoke.

The committee's positions, based on the seven major recommendations
and findings of the National Commission on Ganja, will now be sent to
Parliament for a vote.

Professor Barry Chevannes, who chaired the commission, had recommended
that "the relevant laws be amended so that Ganja be decriminalised for
the private, personal use of small quantities by adults".