Drawing power from the Grass Roots: the effective legalisation of cannabis in Jamaica

Jamaica is the first country in the Caribbean to have decriminalised cannabis. Ganja, as it is known locally, is widely grown, widely used – often for spiritual purposes – and there have been various attempts over the years, accompanied by significant social pressure, to reform archaic laws governing the production and consumption of the plant. However, these have not generally succeeded, in large measure because of the long shadow cast by the United States and its assertive anti-drug activity, international resistance to unravelling the prohibitionist control regime, and a complicated domestic social panorama around drugs in general. So, why has Jamaica succeeded this time?

Matthew Bishop, Senior Lecturer in International Politics and co-leader of the Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute (SPERI)’s research programme is giving a seminar based on his paper which argues that the answer can be found in the distinctive balance of domestic and external forces in which its key policy communities are enmeshed.

If you would like to attend this event please contact the International Development Network using the email address below.