Rastafarian elder Ras Iyah V, the chairman of the Westmoreland Hemp and Ganja Farmers Association, says he is against the provision of edible ganja products to patrons at locally staged ganja-related events.

"As it relates to ganja-related events, I am not in support of the provision of edibles to patrons. I reiterate, I am not in support of edibles," said Ras Iyah V, an executive member of the Cannabis Licensing Authority. "Reason being, most of the individuals who provide these products have little to no scientific knowledge about ganja, for example, the percentage of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the ratio of ganja used to the other ingredients in the preparation of these edibles."

Proper Labelling

Ras Iyah V, the driving force behind the annual Ganjamaica Cup event in Negril, said edibles should not be consumed unless they are properly labelled in keeping with the stipulations of The Bureau of Standards Jamaica, so that potential consumers know exactly what they are about to ingest.

However, despite his stance against edibles, Ras Iyah V also took a jab at the National Council on Drug Abuse, accusing the organisation of hypocrisy in its stance against the use of ganja.

"I am very concerned about the negative approach being taken by the ministries and agencies of the Government regarding ganja," said Ras Iyah V, who has been the keynote speaker at ganja-related events across the globe. "I do not hear the same level of concern nor see the same level of zest being applied to the sale and consumption of cigarette and alcohol."

"Where is the call to monitor the patrons who are leaving these alcohol events? Better yet, who are we to trust with this responsibility of ganja monitoring, when the police who are the so-called law enforcers allow themselves to be intoxicated on the job?" asked the Rastafarian.

US dictates Ja's drug policy while developing their own industry

Ras Iyah V, chairman of the Westmoreland Hemp and Ganja Farmers Association, is calling on the Government to establish cannabis-oriented educational programmes so that persons who are interested in the preparation of edibles can be fully trained and certified.

"Here we are with an emerging medical industry. How much do our doctors know about the cannabis plant from a medicinal perspective?", asked Ras Iyah V, who only recently returned to the island from a ganja conference in Israel.

"Does our Government make it a point of duty to appoint a Jamaican representative at these global medical cannabis conferences? Have our political leaders not realised that while they were allowing the US to dictate Jamaica's drug policy, resulting in the destruction of our ganja supply, the US was ensuring the development of their cannabis industry?"

In arguing that many tourists who come to Jamaica know the benefits of ingesting ganja and are desirous of obtaining it here, where they feel that it is more naturally grown, the Rastafarian elder said that in order to reap the full benefit of the multibillion-dollar global cannabis industry, Jamaica needs to start paying attention to what is happening globally.

"Jamaica needs to set its priority straight in order to reap the benefit of this multi-billion-dollar, global cannabis industry. We can only do so by equipping ourselves with the high level of science and technology, which is quintessential to such an advanced industry," said Ras Iyah V.