By Nicanor Gordon
Weed is many different things to many different people. Escape. Therapy. A good time.
But, for many cultures around the world, it’s something even more sacred. The most visible of these cultures is definitely Rastafarianism.
Between their iconic dreadlocks and global ambassador Bob Marley, Rastafarianism and Jamaica have both become synonymous with not only weed, but the image of relaxation, a stoner’s paradise. In truth, the relationship both have to weed is far more complex.
What is Rastafarianism?
Rastafarianism can be traced back to 1930s Jamaica. Initially, a ragtag group of outcasts protesting in Kingston (Jamaica’s capital city) against colonialism and its effects, Rastafarianism would grow into an entrenched movement. The core tenet of the belief is that life in Jamaica is an exile experience, often referred to as Babylonian. To be called Babylon is to be called an oppressor.
The pushback against colonialism leads to an embrace of nature. Core to this is the concept of ital, the belief that all that enters the body should be natural. Living an ital lifestyle improves your Livity – the righteous energy that exists within all, as claimed by the Rastafarian faith. This adherence to natural living, and increasing Livity, led to the incorporation of ganja (marijuana) into the faith. Rastafarian doctrines declare that the Tree of Life in the bible is actually the ganja plant.
The History of Weed in Jamaica
Ganja was introduced to Jamaica by East Indian immigrants in the late 19th century. Since its introduction, the plant has become an integral part of the Jamaican culture. Immigrants passed down traditional medicinal knowledge. These practices included soaking ganja leaves in white rum to use as a topical to treat pain and asthma, and boiling the leaves into a tea to aid digestion and to treat anxiety. Then there is its cultural impact – weed, reggae, and Rastafarianism all go hand in hand.
Despite all of this, weed has had a complicated history with the Jamaican government.
Although popularly used since its introduction, ganja was made illegal in 1913. The Ganja Act, proposed by the Council of Evangelical Churches in Jamaica and further supported by the “planter” class, targeted poor black people, specifically Rastafarians, for partaking in a ‘victimless crime’ of possessing ganja. The fines were exorbitant. When those could not be paid, the consequence was mandatory imprisonment. This law, and propaganda portraying ganja smokers as brutes prone to violence, shaped an entire generation of middle-class Jamaicans’ attitude towards weed.
As the global perception of weed changes, many Jamaican lobbyists worry about being left behind in the economic race to capitalize on the plant. Jamaica amended its Dangerous Drug Act in 2015, allowing for recreational and religious use of the drug without the threat of persecution. Decriminalization is not legalization. A Jamaican caught with more than 2 ounces of ganja will be arrested and charged, facing possible jail time.
