Jamaica: Ganja use soars

Pointing to a 50 per cent increase in the number of students now being treated for marijuana use, Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton yesterday recommended an in-depth review of the impact that amendments to the Dangerous Drugs Act are having on the country.

Tufton, in his sectoral debate in Parliament, also suggested the implementation of a properly funded prevention and control programme to combat the problem.

According to Tufton, local and international studies confirm that there are potentially serious implications for the health and well-being of people who use cannabis.

“Ninety per cent of the adolescents seen in the National Council on Drug Abuse’s (NCDA’s) drug treatment programme are referred due to problems associated with marijuana use,” Tufton reported. “Moreover, treatment reports reflected a 54 per cent increase in students enrolled in a ganja [use] prevention programme called ‘STEP-UP’ since the decriminalisation of possession of two ounces or less of...

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