Californian cannabis on Customs radar

A worrying trend involving the illegal importation of Californian cannabis into Jamaica is being reported by the recently appointed head of the Jamaica Customs Agency.

Kirk Benjamin, chief executive officer (CEO) of Jamaica Customs, told The Sunday Gleaner that the particular strain of marijuana being shipped to Jamaica has a higher tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) level than locally grown cannabis.

THC is the primary psychoactive compound found in the cannabis plant.

Benjamin, who took charge as commissioner of customs at the end of August, revealed that Jamaica Customs has made several seizures of Californian weed in recent times, including one in which 50 pounds were seized.

Synthetic drugs

“We have been doing a decent amount of seizures, both in terms of the marijuana coming in and also in terms of the synthetic drugs – the molly and the ecstasy coming in,” he said.

Between January and August this year, Customs made 53 seizures of marijuana being imported into Jamaica.

Consultant psychiatrist Dr Winston De La Haye has expressed surprise at the trafficking of cannabis into the country.

Assuming that the THC levels in the imported Californian cannabis are high, De La Haye said the potential dangers would be similar to those associated with locally grown cannabis.

“We have sufficient problems with our home-grown products,” De La Haye told The Sunday Gleaner.

Psychiatric ailments

De La Haye, clinical director of the Addiction Treatment Services Unit at the University Hospital of the West Indies, said that while he was on psychiatric duty little more than a week ago, six to seven out of every 10 patients presented with cannabis-related complaints, in addition to their psychiatric ailments.

He said this was a problem that had persisted for years.

“If it is that there is a more potent product reaching our shores, then it is a bigger problem,” he added.

The consultant psychiatrist said cannabis with high THC concentrations was already available in Jamaica. He said this was the main reason he prepared a paper proposing limits on THC content in medicinal cannabis.

“If more is coming in, we have to make an effort to stem that,” he said.

Jamaica decriminalised marijuana in 2015 following the passage of the Dangerous Drugs [Amendment] Act, 2015.

Under the legislation, possession of up to two ounces (57 grams) of cannabis is a petty, non-arrestable offence for which a ticket may be issued and a fine imposed.

The act also specifically prohibits smoking marijuana in or within five metres of certain public places, workplaces and public conveyances. These include beaches, parks, educational institutions, health facilities, bus stops and outdoor dining areas.

Risks to vulnerable groups

According to De La Haye, one of the challenges associated with the decriminalisation and legalisation of cannabis is how to mitigate the risks to vulnerable groups, including young people and persons with existing psychiatric illnesses whose conditions could worsen with cannabis use.

In Jamaica, companies licensed by the Cannabis Licensing Authority can legally sell medicinal, therapeutic and scientific cannabis products.

De La Haye said that as marijuana became more readily available, opportunities also increased for young people to access and legally purchase it.

He said this was why more testing of the products being sold was crucial.

When he served as acting chief medical officer in Jamaica from February 2016 to January 2018, De La Haye said he crafted recommendations that, among other things, called for samples of medicinal cannabis sold at different outlets to be tested. The aim, he said, was to ensure that herb houses were not supplying products with very high THC levels.

He suggested that the Ministry of Health should be designated to carry out the testing of samples to determine appropriate THC levels.

edmond.campbell@gleanerjm.com