Jamaica has passed a law that decriminalizes the possession of small amounts of marijuana and also approves use of the drug for religious, medicinal and therapeutic purposes.
The new law allows possession of up to 2 oz. of marijuana, which will be considered a petty offense. The law also allows Jamaicans to cultivate up to five marijuana plants on a single premises without facing arrest.
The new law will help followers of Rastafari faith to use the drug freely for religious purposes, as they consider marijuana to be sacred.
Many Latin American countries have recently decriminalized use of the drug, while in the United States Alaska recently became the third state after Washington and Colorado to have decriminalized use of the drug.
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May 01, 2026 15:54 ET Central banks dominated the economics news flow this week with almost all major ones announcing their latest policy decisions and many boosted expectations for a rate hike in June. In other news, several countries released the preliminary data for first quarter economic growth. In the U.S., comments by Fed Chair Jerome Powell were also in focus as his term ends this month.