RASTAMAN, PLEASE NOTE: Somebody, if not here then elsewhere, really seems to care about the small entrepreneur. Officials note, "Setting maximum limits on pot cultivation was not anticipated, he said, but the government wanted to ensure that small farmers 'are not excluded and it does not just become something exclusively for major capital-intensive investors'."

Album cover - Wikipedia

Peter Tosh sang, "Legalize It," and they did. Or will. Guardian reports, here.

And protecting the little guy, they seem ready to walk the talk. In Jamaica.

If only Marley could have lived to see it happen.

Guardian wrote:

Jamaica moves to decriminalise marijuana, with eyes on medical use

Fears of international sanctions have faded now that US states and other countries have made similar moves
AP in Kingston theguardian.com, Tuesday 30 September 2014 21.16 EDT

Jamaica has drafted legislation to decriminalise marijuana, the island’s justice minister said on Tuesday.

Mark Golding told reporters that MPs should make possession of two ounces (57 grams) or less a petty offence before the end of 2014. He also expects decriminalisation for religious purposes to be authorised by then, allowing Rastafarians to ritually smoke marijuana, which they consider a “holy herb”, without fear of arrest.

The drug, although pervasive, has been prohibited on the Caribbean island for a century.

Golding said it would take longer to agree on more complex changes to Jamaica’s Dangerous Drugs Act needed to spur a medical marijuana and cannabis research sector. He said Jamaica, where scientists developed a cannabis-derived medication to treat glaucoma decades ago, was “well-positioned to be a forerunner” in efforts to research therapeutic uses of the plant.

[... headline quote and more]