Jamaica

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A Little Pot Now Not Such a Big Crime in Jamaica

Possession of 2 oz. or less, cultivation of 5 or fewer plants is now 'petty offense'

(Newser) - Alaska yesterday became the third state to legalize marijuana for recreational use, and now a country where you would have thought that was the case already is moving closer to that goal itself. Jamaica's parliament last night approved a law decriminalizing small amounts of pot, the AP reports. People...

US Couple's Plane Crash Stumps Investigators

Larry, Jane Glazer worked to improve Rochester, NY

(Newser) - Officials have yet to find the wreckage of a plane, flown by a US couple, that crashed near Jamaica , the AP reports. Last night, investigators saw debris that could have been from the plane, but now it's nowhere to be found. "We would have to assume it may...

Jamaica Loosens Ganja Laws
 Jamaica Loosens Ganja Laws 

Jamaica Loosens Ganja Laws

Possessing a spliff will no longer be a crime

(Newser) - Nearly 40 years after reggae great Peter Tosh sang "Legalize It," the Jamaican government is beginning to take his advice. Justice Minister Mark Golding has unveiled sweeping reforms to the country's drug laws, including allowing possession of up to two ounces of marijuana, known on the island...

Jamaican Bobsled Team Gets Cool Theme Song

Called, what else? 'The Bobsled Song'

(Newser) - Jamaica's incredible bobsledding run to the Winter Olympics now has a theme song to go with it—named, appropriately, "The Bobsled Song," the AP reports. The upbeat tune by Sidney Mills and Jon Notard plays perfectly in sync with the team's 4,921-foot run in Sochi...

Crowdfunding Pays to Get Homeless Man Home to Jamaica

London woman's plea for 'Michael' smashes goal quickly

(Newser) - A British woman's plea on Go Fund Me to help a homeless man evidently struck a chord. Jenny Baker asked people to chip in to buy a plane ticket to help a 64-year-old man she met in Dalston achieve his one wish: to return to his native Jamaica, reports...

Internet Heaps $187K on Broke Jamaican Bobsledders

Team is crowdfunding its Sochi trip

(Newser) - If you're a fan of Cool Runnings, consider this: You can help send this year's Jamaican bobsled team to the Olympics. The team qualified for the games for the first time since 2002 , but needs to raise tens of thousands of dollars to actually travel to Sochi. Fortunately,...

Lolo Jones Makes US Olympic Bobsled Team

2 track stars complete the switch to Winter Games

(Newser) - Lolo Jones and fellow former track star Lauryn Williams are set to make history at the Sochi Olympics as the ninth and tenth Americans to compete in both Summer and Winter Olympics. The two women, who have five Summer Olympics between them, were named as members of the US Olympic...

Jamaica Launches First Medical Ganja Firm

Island eyes role as hub for medical pot tourism

(Newser) - A Jamaican scientist hopes the birthplace of Bob Marley can also spawn a thriving medical marijuana industry. Medicinal chemistry expert Henry Lowe has launched a venture called MediCanja, which aims to create and export health products derived from Jamaica's famous marijuana, which is illegal but widely consumed on the...

Red Stripe Slammed Over New Fruity Beer

Red Stripe Burst being marketed to those under 24

(Newser) - Jamaican beer maker Red Stripe's latest concoction is a fruity beer whose goal, according to the company, is "recruitment-driven": The company is hoping to win over 18- to 24-year-olds (18-year-olds can legally drink in Jamaica, Jezebel notes). Activist group Alcohol Justice wants to keep the raspberry-flavored Burst from...

Perfect Bolt Claims 3 Golds
 Perfect Bolt Claims 3 Golds 

Perfect Bolt Claims 3 Golds

Jamaica sweeps sprinting events at World Athletics Championship in Moscow

(Newser) - Usain Bolt is perfect again. And with three gold medals in Moscow, the Jamaican great became the most successful athlete in the 30-year history of the world championships. The 4x100-meter relay gold today erased the memories of the 100 title he missed out on in South Korea two years ago...

Transgendered Jamaican Teen Brutally Beaten, Shot by Mob

Murder shines light on rampant anti-gay culture

(Newser) - Dwayne Jones was kicked around and harassed for much of his young life. His father booted him from his house at age 14 for being effeminate, and along with neighbors, ran Dwayne out of the Jamaican slum in which he was raised. He was teased to the point where he...

Jamaicans Rally to Keep Anti-Sodomy Law

1.5K take part in revival meetings led by pastors

(Newser) - About 1,500 Jamaicans rallied over a 149-year-old anti-sodomy law yesterday—and not to repeal it, as one might assume. The country's Supreme Court will hear a rare challenge to the 1864 law tomorrow, so pastors yesterday led two revival meetings to decry the growing acceptance of homosexuality. Attendees,...

21 Dead in Caribbean as Sandy Churns Toward US

East Coast braces for 'nor'easter on steroids'

(Newser) - Hurricane Sandy's death toll has reached 21 in the Caribbean as the storm hammered the Bahamas today, causing power outages and flooding. No deaths have been reported in the Bahamas, notes the AP . Last night, the storm weakened to category 1—where it should remain for a few days—...

Usain Bolt Leaves Girlfriend to Focus on Olympics
 Usain Bolt Leaves Girlfriend to Focus on Olympics 
tabloid says

Usain Bolt Leaves Girlfriend to Focus on Olympics

World's fastest man 'will have plenty of time for relationships'

(Newser) - The fastest man on the planet has one thing on his mind, and it's not romance. Usain Bolt has broken up with his girlfriend in order to focus on the Olympics, reports the Sun . "He will have plenty of time for relationships," says its source. "At...

Jamaica PM Would Like Apology From UK for Slavery

Portia Simpson Miller calls history 'wicked and brutal'

(Newser) - Jamaica Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller didn't mince words when asked yesterday about her country's history with Britain—just as Prince Harry arrived in the country for a visit. "No race should have been subjected to what our ancestors were subjected to," Miller said, according to...

World's Most Cinematic Beaches

Seaside locales that have made it to Hollywood

(Newser) - Ever wondered where filmmakers find those beautiful natural settings? CNN has the scoop on five of the best beaches to have graced the silver screen:
  • The Beach's quasi-utopia was created on Thailand’s Phi Phi Leh Island, a spot in the southern part of the country that has seen
...

In Jamaica, a Disturbing Number Bleach Skin

Health officials warn against the practice, but trend persists

(Newser) - In Jamaica, the popular trend of skin bleaching has reached disturbing and dangerous heights, doctors say. Despite public health campaigns warning against the practice, many residents purchase concoctions—sometimes from roadside vendors—that claim to lighten the skin. One dermatologist even had a patient who started bleaching her baby. "...

Jamaican Drug Lord Being Extradited to US

Christopher 'Dudus' Coke flying to NY to face charges

(Newser) - Jamaican authorities have handed over accused drug lord Christopher Coke to the US government, ABC News reports. "Dudus" should be in New York by this evening to face drug and weapons charges. The extradition ends a violent campaign by the Jamaican government to oust Coke from his stronghold in...

Reputed Jamaican Drug Lord Surrenders

Christopher 'Dudus' Coke is in custody

(Newser) - Reputed gang leader Christopher "Dudus" Coke, who eluded a bloody police offensive in his slum stronghold last month, surrendered to authorities outside Jamaica's capital today, local news media reported. Coke has been called one of the world's most dangerous drug lords by US authorities and faces trial in New...

Jamaica Toll Hits 73 as Manhunt Goes On

Suspected drug lord remains at large

(Newser) - Jamaican security forces kicked down doors and arrested dozens of residents of a bullet-pocked slum today and said the death toll from four days of fighting sparked by the search for a reputed drug lord has risen to 73. The target of the manhunt, Christopher "Dudus" Coke, was nowhere...

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