Some strains are notoriously strong, particularly when taken through a traditional Jamaican steam chalice. Outside the dispensaries, unlicensed vendors are taking advantage of the new permissiveness of the ganja laws, and it's not unusual to see space cakes or similar edible items openly for sale in cafes or infused in butter in your lobster meal.
Be careful, the strengths can vary widely. Caution is also required if offered ganja plantation tours. Currently, these remain unlicensed and therefore illegal. When leaving Jamaica it's important to remember that it is strictly illegal to take any medical ganja product with you.
Get more travel inspiration, tips and exclusive offers sent straight to your inbox with our weekly newsletter. What you need to know about smoking weed legally in Jamaica. Paul Clammer. Share this story:. Places from this story Jamaica Caribbean Country. Jamaica, which foreigners have long associated with pot, reggae and Rastafarians, authorized a regulated medical marijuana industry and decriminalized small amounts of weed in People caught with 2 ounces 56 grams or less of cannabis are supposed to pay a small fine and face no arrest or criminal record.
The island also allows individuals to cultivate up to five plants, and Rastafarians are legally allowed to smoke ganja for sacramental purposes. But enforcement is spotty as many tourists and locals continue to buy marijuana on the street, where it has grown more scarce — and more expensive. Through the Indians ganja spread to the lower classes of society; in fact, the black section of the population. Ganja is currently a widely-used substance in the countryside and in the poor districts of the large towns.
To Rastafarians, the followers of the religious black consciousness movement Rastafari, the reason for using ganja is more profound. They look upon ganja as a holy plant, which enables them to deepen their faith. The religious black consciousness movement, Rastafari, was founded in the s and s in Jamaica.
Key person and in a certain sense the father of the Rastafarian movement is the Jamaican Marcus Garvey. In the s, he denounced the inferior treatment of Blacks in Jamaica and the US.
Garvey is considered as one of he first black nationalists and Pan-Africans. He founded the Universal Black Negro Association in the US, which was represented in forty countries and supposedly had ten million members. Garvey's influence on the black consciousness movement was enormous. Some of Garvey's followers the 'Garveyites' considered him to be a prophet. Garvey supposedly predicted that a black king would come to power, who would be the saviour of the black people.
It is unclear whether Garvey really did make this predication. Some people believed the content of this play to be real.
For some of Garvey's followers this was the fulfilment of the prophesy. They began to call themselves Ras Tafaris and believed in the divineness of Haile Selassie, subsequently referring to themselves as Jah from Jehovah. Apart from the biblical titles they also saw other signs that this emperor had to be the saviour.
At that time thus prior to Mussolini's invasion in , Ethiopia was the only African country that had not been under Western rule. The fact that many foreign dignitaries were present was therefore interpreted as yet another sign that this was a special coronation. In the s, Selassie frequently made statements in favour of the independence of African colonies and Ethiopia became more or less a symbol for African independence. Many African countries therefore adapted the colours of Ethiopia's national flag, green-yellow-red, when they finally became independent.
The Rastafarian movement too, adapted these colours. Being a Rastafarian actually means that one believes in the divineness of Haile Selassie and wants to return home to Africa, the country of origin.
Selassie is said to be the saviour of the black African people, who were taken to the Americas against their will. There they live in virtual captivity, just as the 'Babylonian Captivity' mentioned in the bible. Over the years the role of Haile Selassie and Africa gradually changed from a literal significance to a more symbolic significance. This change was brought about by the death of Selassie in and the realisation by an increasing number of Jamaicans that not all of Selassie's actions were 'soul-saving'.
Furthermore, Africa and Ethiopia are no longer looked upon as the promised land by all Rastafarians. Being a Rastafarian now rather symbolises black consciousness and the understanding that Blacks are not inferior to Whites.
Although there are various Rastafarian groups, the majority of Rastafarians does not belong to a group; being a Rastafarian is - above all else - a personal perception. There are, however, a number of rules. Rastafarians eat 'Ital', which means that only natural, vegetarian food without salt is consumed.
The most eye-catching aspect is the hairdo of the Rasta, the dreadlocks. One of the most famous 'rules' is smoking the holy herb. To Rastafarians, ganja is not only a mere mind-altering substance, it is the holy herb mentioned in the bible.
Sometimes it is also claimed that the holy herb grew on the grave of King Salomon. The use of ganja is supposed to lead to a deeper faith, which explains the fact why ganja is smoked at religious Rastafarian ceremonies.
Cannabis lovers in the West with an overly romanticised image of Jamaica and the Rastafarian movement may occasionally get the impression that Rastafarians spend a good part of their day smoking 'peace pipes' filled with ganja. True, Rastafarians usually do smoke regularly and more frequently than non-Rastafarians, yet it is still a matter of moderate and integrated use, like the consumption of ganja in Jamaica in general.
In the streets of Jamaica you will seldom come across people heavily intoxicated from smoking ganja. Larger amounts of ganja are only consumed at special occasions like religious ceremonies or during an afternoon or evening in the circle of friends. Earlier we already suggested that ganja is not only smoked by Rastas but that marijuana, especially among the lower classes, is a widely-consumed substance in Jamaican society. What it is not about is getting "stoned". That returns us to being irresponsible about one's body.
Ganja is often smoked communally among several Rastas from a common pipe called a chalice. This is often done during gatherings known as reasonings, where ideas are freely shared among participants. Communal smoking helps to emphasize the sense of community among those presents as well as creating divine connections. Parallels can certainly be drawn between these use of ganja and the tobacco-smoking rituals of the Native American tribes. Ganja is not native to Jamaica, the home of the Rastafari Movement.
Instead, it originally could be found in Asia, and Indians brought it to the island in the 19th century when they were imported as cheap labor after slavery was abolished. The word ganja is a Sanskrit word for the plant. Marijuana is the Mexican word for the same plant after it was brought to Mexico. Rastas frequently call it the wisdom weed or the holy herb.
Ganja use has a long history in Asian meditative and mystical practices, and this may well be from where Rastas borrowed the idea. The dreading of hair is also a practice of some Eastern mystics, as well as in various other cultures. Ganja has been in Africa for centuries as well, introduced by Muslim Arabs as they spread their influence across the continent. As such, some Rastas see the smoking of ganja as one way of embracing African traditions lost when their ancestors were brought to the New World as slaves.
Dreads, dreadlocks, or locks are formed by hair knotting up on itself.
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