nugs

Remember a time, sometimes referred to as “back in the day,” when the big boys were in town? – the Colombians, Panamas, Oxacans, and, of course, Jamaicans.

Columbus had landed on Jamaica on his second trip and “claimed” it for Spain.  The Spanish set up sugar plantations and after wiping out the native Arawak inhabitants, brought in African slaves.  In 1655 the British defeated the Spanish and took Jamaica.  Slavery was left in place until 1838.  It is after this time that Indians came to the island and with them the practices of smoking marijuana.  The word commonly used for marijuana in Jamaica is ganja, an Indian word.

In the 1920s black consciousness movement leader Marcus Garvey predicted the coming of a black savior.   His prediction came in the person of Haile Selassie, the new emperor of Ethiopia, an ancient country in East Africa that was not colonized until its invasion by Mussolini’s Italy in 1936.  Selassie traced his lineage directly to King Solomon, and was called Ras Tafari.  This is the root of the Rastafarian culture.  Partaking of the “holy herb” was incorporated into their culture and religion.

Jamaican ganja’s popularity and supply peaked in the 70s with the Red variety being one of the most sought after.  A thick, piney, roof of the mouth, tasting bud had been evolved, usually with a moderate to large stem supporting sometimes huge buds.  The local climate and growers allowing the plant to grow until it was covered with red hair, made for the red variety of this tasty product.  It was known for getting inhaled before exploding in both the lungs and head.  The general buzz was a lighter, more party type of head.  The island had become one of the prime cannabis tour spots on the globe.

What happened?  The US War on Drugs hit Jamaica hard.  The large grow operations were ended.  Air smuggling became difficult to impossible.  A smaller, higher dollar per weight/volume product took over, cocaine.  With the cities flooded with coke, violence increased.  The loss of economic power by Rasta’s sales of ganja did away with their political base.  The left leaning government of Mike Manley did not get re-elected.  Bob Marley died.

Jamaica today is still on the cannabis tour list but with caution about its cities.  There is an active political movement for legalization.  Their product is still mind bending but not much is able to be exported – To get the real deal nowadays, you have to go there and smoke with the homies- the Rastas.