Collie, illie, herb, weed, kaya, ganja - call it what you will, marijuana is virtually a part of Jamaica’s indigenous culture. Reggae songs continually extol the virtues of the weed of wisdom - “Legalize it, don’t criticize it. Got to have kaya now. Chalice in the palace.” A number of organizations are lobbying for its decriminalization. Many Jamaicans honestly feel that ganja is no worse than tobacco or rum and should be just as freely available.

Dr. Winston Davidson, president of the Medical Association of Jamaica disagrees. According to him “The continuous smoking of ganja beginning at an early age is one of the main contributors to the educational marginalization of young inner city males.”

Dr. Davidson is one of the nation’s foremost experts on marijuana. He facilitated research for a study by Lockhart and West on ‘The Scientific Production of Cannosol for Use in the Treatment of Glaucomia’. But his opinions are not based solely on scientific study, for he has thirty years of unmitigated experience with inner city communities.

“It is nonsense to say ganja smoking is harmless. Smoking anything is harmful. Ganja has a very high tar content and damages the lungs just as much or more than tobacco. It causes chronic obstructive airway diseases like emphysema and bronchitis. I have had personal friends who have died from lung cancer which I believe is facilitated by ganja smoking. It is reported also to cause lower sperm counts. And children born to ganja smoking women have low birth weights and smaller head circumferences.”

There are many studies showing that marijuana use impairs intellectual performance and co-ordination. Tetra Hydro Cannabinol is fat soluble and dissolves in the fat cells of the brain. THC affects the entire thought process - perception, retention, recall, comprehension and analysis. Ganja also makes people with borderline metal illnesses very difficult to treat, and those who smoke it can develop acute psychotic reactions. Marijuana is retained for a long time in the body, and is detectable in the urine up to 66 days after it is ingested.

“I have been around ganja smokers for over 30 years and am convinced that chronic ganja use is addictive and has permanently deleterious effects on the brain and on personality.

Ganja destroys the lives of many bright young men. Boys who smoke ganja regularly find it is impossible to concentrate on schoolwork and generally end up with little or no education. What kind of future can they have then? And this is not happening to isolated cases, but sometimes to entire communities. This is one of the many complex reasons why our girls are outperforming our boys. Girls don’t normally smoke ganja.

Look at our prisons. Nearly all prisoners have smoked ganja. I don’t say ganja makes people criminals. But it creates an inability to learn and interferes with schooling. Not everyone who gets an education will progress in life, but at least it gives you a chance. Without education in the modern world there is very little option but crime. Some people say young men smoke ganja because they have nothing else to do. But ganja only makes things worse for inner city youth. It is like throwing gasoline on a fire.”

The authorities in the past inflicted far more serious punishments on ganja smokers than their offense warranted. This has contributed to a persecution complex among ganja users, who argue that “rich man can drink rum and smoke cigars in peace, but poor man can’t smoke ganja.” But scientists only recently became aware of the dangers of second hand smoke. Now governments are taking steps to protect innocent bystanders.

“All tobacco advertising should be banned, and so should smoking anything in public places. It would be insanity to allow second hand ganja smoke to proliferate when we are trying to cut back on second hand cigarette smoke

The glamourization and mythologizing of ganja by reggae artists and the ganja lobby is sending the wrong message to the young. We need to be less emotional here and deal objectively with the scientific facts. Marijuana has many medicinal properties. But it also has harmful ones. The logical thing to do is separate the good from the bad. To just look at the pluses and proclaim that ‘Ganja is good for you’ is false logic. Cocaine was used as a local anaesthetic before its addictive and destructive properties manifested themselves. Why repeat such a mistake?

Ganja is not like cocaine. Cocaine is the most addictive substance known to man. One third of first time crack users become addicts. Something that dangerous should be completely outlawed. Ganja is like alcohol. It is not too harmful in small quantities, but continuous use and overuse can destroy a person’s life.

Adults should be able to do whatever they want in their private domain so long as it does not affect the rights of others, particularly the young and the old. I have nothing against Rastafarians using the herb as a sacrament. What I have a problem with is the smoking of ganja in public places, the use of ganja by anyone under eighteen, and the media glorification of ganja. We must protect our children and their future.”

But what about places like Holland where ganja tea and hash brownies are sold under specific conditions in designated areas?

“Everything depends on context and circumstance. The Dutch are highly educated, have a rigid culture of social order, and are well informed about health matters. Holland is also a very disciplined society. You can’t even think of importing marijuana illegally there. In Jamaica we can’t even monitor drunk driving and underage liquor laws. We already have problems with alcoholism. Why make a bad situation even worse?

Trevor Macmillan’s statement about decriminalizing ganja was highly irresponsible. I am good friends with Trevor, and we won’t fall out over this. But those who talk about legalizing marijuana should think about the consequences of such an action. A higher level of permissiveness would invariably embolden people and lead to greater use. We already have problems with indiscipline. Legalizing ganja without legislation to address the consequences would be a tragedy at this time. Let’s first begin to observe our liquor laws and put in place laws to protect the non-cigarette smoking public.”

Dr. Davidson’s arguments seem eminently reasonable. So why are the Medical Association of Jamaica and the Ministry of Health not making greater efforts to educate the public about the realities of ganja smoking? If they do not, who will?