The Editor, Sir:

The use of ganja in prison provides a golden opportunity to explore scientifically its useful effects. Our prisons provide such medium for our medical scientists to take advantage of.

From my experience as a medical officer within prisons of St. Catherine, ganja has interesting and advantageous effects on prisoners and subsequently their environs. When ganja is scarce in the prison system there is an atmosphere of tension, increased prison fights among inmates, the use of excessive forces by correctional officers and less request for medical attention.

I have seen in cases where inmates presented with severe pains for various reasons and potent analgesics failed. Ganja was the only thing which relieved the painful conditions.

In summary Mr. Editor I am an advocate for the controlled medical use of ganja in our prisons. I have seen it work in our prison system as an anti-depressant, an appetizer in HIV/AIDS inmates, analgesics, anti-emetic and for insomnia. Many correctional officers use ganja to eliminate fear and depression created by their stressful hazardous job. As no officer feels safe at the present ratio of officer to inmate, their use of ganja is also easily understood.

With the adverse inhumane conditions; overcrowding, lice-infested prison cells, likelihood of being raped and the possibility of being HIV-infected under the watchful eyes of our tax-paid prison authorities, ganja does seems to provide a false sense of relaxation, not acceptance. While the Department of Corrections recurrently state their intention to rid the prison system of ganja trafficking, an almost impossible task, let's hope they will link with our universities to study the use of ganja in prisons and its effect on various medical conditions.

I am, etc.,

Dr. RAYMOTH NOTICE

shaq@cwjamaica.com

37 Wellington St

Spanish Town

Via Go-Jamaica