Caribbean Rastafarians are to petition their governments to relax the laws on marijuana use. The president of the Caribbean Rastafarian Organisation, Franklyn "King Franki" Francis, said they plan to write Caribbean Community leaders to on the issue. Marijuana is regarded by Rastafarians as a sacrament but Mr Francis used other reasons for pressing his organisation's case. "With the medicinal usage of marijuana and even the wide industrial and commercial usages of hemp over the centuries, Caribbean governments have nothing but to gain from the proper regulation and utilisation of marijuana," Mr. Francis told BBC Caribbean radio. Industrial hemp is the same species as the cannabis plant that produces marijuana. Planned approach Francis said individual groups and members of the organisation, which was formed in 1998, had been petitioning island governments to decriminalise ganja. But he said they had been told that governments couldn't act unilaterally -- hence the planned approach to the regional economic grouping. He cited the case of Jamaica, claiming that the administration there had been criticised by Washington over a recommendation from a commission to legalise small amounts of marijuana for personal use. "We are calling on the Caricom governments to support colleague P.J. Patterson (the Jamaican prime minister) in this respect, in terms of the pressure he is getting not to institute the recommendations of his appointed commission." He called the American approach hypocritical, given what he said was relaxed attitudes in some US states, and countries in Europe and Canada to cannabis for medicinal use. Possible harm He said the trend of changing attitudes to the drug had been evident in many parts of the world for the past decade. The preponderance of the evidence was in favour of marijuana, Mr. Francis said, claiming to be unaware of studies that also pointed to the drug's possible harm. Studies published this year in Britain suggested that men who smoke cannabis could be damaging their fertility, while some experts say there is growing evidence that the drug is responsible for mental health problems. On the plus side, the biggest UK study of cannabis-based drugs has shown evidence for a long-term benefit in easing the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Other research also suggests the chemical in cannabis produces a high that may help to combat the spread of cancer. Francis said his organisation has a number of other issues it wanted to raise with Caricom, such as closer relations with Africa, reparations for slavery and the repatriation of African-Caribbeans who want to return to the continent. SOURCE: BBCCARIBBEAN.COM