The Jamaican government has launched a new website and campaign to provide the public with fact-based, accurate and scientific information on cannabis.
The Ministry of Health and Wellness designed the “Good Ganja Sense” campaign to promote education around cannabis and offer all those interested in the topic a safe space with trustworthy resources and articles on the topic.
The accompanying website will include a number of topics, including the health benefits of cannabis, in order to stimulate more conversation on the topic. The website will also aim to debunk myths around the drug, including that it makes people lazy and lowers sperm count.
State Minister Hon. Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn said the website is part of the National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA).
She said: “We are in a digital world where people are finding information for themselves, and the information may be false or it very well may be true, depending on where they go.
“Ganja will no longer be underpinned by what has been passed down through oral traditions and old tales, but fact-based information that is now available at the fingertips. “
As Marijuana Moment reports, public advertisements – such as ads on buses – will also make up part of the campaign.
The ads reportedly feature slogans, such as “Burn Ganja Myths” and “Go with the Science.”
Jamaica is often associated with its cannabis culture, however, it is claimed that many people in the country don’t really understand what the plant has to offer. Jamaica’s government hopes that the “Good Ganja Sense” campaign will address the current lack of education and create meaningful conversation around the real benefits and harms of the drug.
Ms Cuthbert-Flynn added: “We know very well too, the ills and thrills associated with the internet – much false health information has been spread far and wide through technology, but today, we can put the right information out into the space.
“But now, with science and technology combined, Jamaica now has in its arsenal, a resource that puts into context, legislation, medical information and an overall evidence-based dialogue that can change the attitudes and behaviours that Jamaicans hold towards ganja.”
Jamaica legalised medical cannabis and decriminalised the recreational use and possession of small amounts of cannabis in 2015. This year, the Jamaican government announced plans to overhaul the country’s cannabis legislation
