With its recording artists singing the praises of ganja across the world for nearly 50 years, there are few countries that have done more to advance the cause of recreational dope smoking.

Now, after a century of prohibition, and a public love affair played out in its music, art and literature, Jamaica has finally begun the first step towards decriminalisation of cannabis.

Justice Minister Mark Golding said draft legislation was being prepared that would make possession of two ounces or less a petty offence before the end of 2014.

Irie man! A Rastafarian tends his ganja plants in Jamaica, where the government has just announced plans to decriminalise the drug, which has long been a feature of Jamaican music and culture

He also expects decriminalisation for religious purposes by then, allowing Rastafarians to ritually smoke marijuana, which they consider a 'holy herb,' without fear of arrest.

According to recent figures from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, just one in 10 Jamaicans use cannabis, far fewer people than in the U.S. where 15 per cent of people are believed to use it.

Mr Golding said it will take longer to agree on more complex changes to Jamaica's Dangerous Drugs Act needed to spur a medical marijuana and cannabis research sector.

He said Jamaica, where scientists developed a cannabis-derived medication to treat glaucoma decades ago, is 'well-positioned to be a forerunner' in efforts to research therapeutic uses of the plant.

As Jamaica advances marijuana decriminalisation, the government is committed to battling drug traffickers, Mr Golding stressed. Keeping marijuana away from children, the international black market and organized crime will be a top priority, he said.

Previous efforts to decriminalise marijuana, or 'ganja' as it is largely known in Jamaica, failed to advance because Jamaican officials feared they would violate international treaties and bring sanctions from Washington.

But those concerns have eased now that a number of nations and some U.S. states have relaxed marijuana laws.

Legalise it, yeah: A tour guide shows marijuana growing openly in a flower garden

Mr Golding said the regulatory framework needed for a medical marijuana and research industry in Jamaica is still being hashed over.

Setting maximum limits on ganja farming is not anticipated, he said, but the government wants to ensure that small farmers 'are not excluded and it does not just become something exclusively for major capital-intensive investors.'

Ethan Nadelmann, head of the nonprofit Drug Policy Alliance, a pro-legalization group based in New York, called Golding's announcement a 'significant step forward.'

It's 'both noteworthy in that Jamaica is reforming policies on possession, religious use and medical use at more or less the same time, and politically important in providing leadership in the Caribbean,' he said.