Gov't to modernise cannabis use for religious practice

The Government is intensifying consultations on Jamaica’s framework for the religious use of cannabis, commonly referred to in legislation as the sacramental cannabis framework.

The consultations are aimed at strengthening governance, safeguarding legitimate religious rights and preserving the integrity of the country’s regulated cannabis industry.

A proposal to transfer responsibility for the operational governance and administration of the religious cannabis framework to the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport was among several issues discussed during a high-level ministerial consultation held recently at the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs.

The proposal is being considered in recognition of the framework’s connection to Jamaica’s religious and cultural heritage.

Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Delano Seiveright, told JIS News that the review forms part of ongoing efforts to improve policy clarity and coordination among agencies responsible for administering the framework.

“The Government remains committed to protecting legitimate religious rights, while ensuring that the framework is properly governed, clearly understood and not exploited for activities outside of the law,” he said.

The consultation followed recommendations from the Cannabis Industry Development Taskforce, chaired by Mr. Seiveright, which identified the need for greater policy clarity and stronger coordination in administering Jamaica’s religious cannabis framework.

The State Minister said the review also provided an opportunity to ensure that the system remains balanced.

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He noted that discussions placed emphasis on the criteria for recognising religious organisations, oversight arrangements, cultivation and possession limits, transportation requirements, approved cultivation lands and religious spaces, enforcement protocols, and measures to clearly distinguish legitimate religious use of cannabis from Jamaica’s regulated commercial cannabis industry.

“We must continue to uphold the protections provided under the Dangerous Drugs Act while addressing operational challenges, strengthening compliance and ensuring that legitimate religious use is clearly distinguished from commercial cannabis activities,” Mr. Seiveright said.

The stakeholders further examined the operation of the Dangerous Drugs (Designation of Land for Cultivation of Ganja for Sacramental Purposes) (Amendment) Order, 2023, which allows recognised Rastafarian organisations and designated individuals to cultivate ganja for bona fide religious purposes on approved lands, subject to prescribed conditions and regulatory oversight.

Among those in attendance were Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Hon. Delroy Chuck; Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia “Babsy” Grange; Minister of State in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Hon. Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert; Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Sancia Bennett Templer; and senior technocrats from the aforementioned ministries.

Mr. Seiveright noted that “further consultations will continue as the Government works to modernise the governance of Jamaica’s religious cannabis framework while protecting religious observance, strengthening regulatory certainty and maintaining public confidence in the country’s cannabis regime”.