Holy Smoke - ganja - marijuana

Ganja (marijuana) is an omnipresent fact of a Jamaican vacation.

The weed, which grows throughout the island, has been cultivated for its narcotic effect since 1845, when indentured Indian laborers brought the first seeds from Asia. Its use spread rapidly among the plantation workers. Since it induced indolence and reduced productivity, it was outlawed. Nonetheless, islanders have used it ever since. Today, an estimated 20% to 40% of Jamaicans smoke it on a regular basis (Life expectancy in Jamaica is 75 years). As such, in 2001 a government commission recommended that marijuana be legalized for private use and possession.

Canja use crosses all social strata; it is no less common for friends of the highest income levels to offer guests an after-dinner 'tote' than it is for the urban poor, who often smoke spliffs the size of bazookas. Many Jamaicans don't see ganja as a drug but as a medicinal and religious herb. To Rastafarians it is a source of wisdom.

For Jamaica's impoverished farmers, growing 'poor man's friend' is one of the few sure ways of earning money. The remote interior provides ideal conditions; the five-lobed plant thrives in Jamaica's rich red soil. And the main export market - the USA - is nearby.

First the seedlings are meticulously raised under protective cover and then transplanted into fields (guano, or bat dung, used as a fertilizer supposedly produces the most prolific plants). There they mature in five or six months, reaching heights as great as 10 feet.

Ganja is planted between other crops by small-scale farmers, and in larger plots by more serious entrepreneurs. Once harvested, the plants are pressed to extract hash oil, and the leaves are then dried. Distributors collect the dried and baled ganja, which they transport to lonesome boat docks and remote airstrips for rapid shipment to the USA. Legitimate businesses sometimes act as covers (many respected businesspeople in Jamaica reportedly got their start in drug trafficking).

During the 1980s heyday, the annual wholesale value of Jamaica's ganja crop exceeded US$1.5 billion, and the trade had tacit approval at the government level. Nonetheless, since 1986 the Jamaican government has cracked down on drug trading at the behest of the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). The DEA claims that Jamaica's ganja production has fallen by 80%, and that exports have fallen by two-thirds.

The strongest varieties are Burr, Cotton, and Lamb's Breath, which are marketed in the USA as sinsi (short for sinsemilla, Spanish for seedless).

Discuss This Article (Ganja (marijuana))

Recent Comments

Tour Guide in Ocho Rios?

by Tony from New York, NY

I'm wondering if anyone can help me find a great "tour guide" near ocho rios. I'm traveling there in April and want help in finding the absolute best stuff around. I know you can find ganja anywhere, but I'm looking for the amazing stuff the locals smoke. I've heard of people going into farms in the mountains. Happy to do that.

If you can help, please respond here, or email me at sumwhatinnocent at yahoo. Thanks!

Headin to Montego Bay

by RyDogChillin from States

Ok...sounds like scoring what I need once I get there is not going to be a problem. Here is what I have come to understand about getting the GaNj in JA when visiting.....Please Correct me if I am wrong:

1) Unless you look like the most Average Joe square individual, you WILL be approached to buy some.

2) Bottom line is that it IS illegal.

3) The fine if caught is around 20 American dollars.

4) You should be ... [read more]

Herb not weed - Apologies Renney B

by Mas from London UK

Hi there

sorry Renney, I didn't mean to refer to herb as weed. And I agree with everything you say. However until something pretty dramatic happens in the world (and it undoubtedly will) herb will remain a political issue. On another note would anyone be able to suggest a good sativa plant to keep an eye out for (or request from traders) when we are there in a few weeks.

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