One of the truly great liberation struggles of the past 100 or so years, is the campaign by (mostly) reggae artists out of Jamaica, to “spring” the ganja plant from political and judicial incarceration. In the 1930s, when the Rastafari religion, emerged in Jamaica, embracing ganja as the basis of its holy sacrament, Jamaica’s first indigenous religion, laid the foundations for ganja’s cultural war of liberation, against establishment “Babylon”. A cultural war of attrition, which raged for almost a century before its first battles were won. Not on the streets, but in parliaments.
Indeed, the well-known ganja anthem, “Legalize It” continues to reverberate around the world (backed by the powerful Jamaican reggae genre. With an unmistakable presence on YouTube and other music streaming platforms. Increasingly, it is becoming clear (to national and international authorities) that ganja is an innocent member of the flora kingdom, harmless as a bush, unless provoked.
So, the centers of power (Cabinets, Parliaments and now the UN) are retreating from a mostly fruitless war of attrition, with a plant which has become endemic to many parts of the world. Innocent ganja having traveled (on an indentured boat) to the Caribbean from India.
As “The weed” is (finally) escaping “high security prisons” around the World, many governments are plotting to reap big bounties off its head. They are betting that the liberated herb will be a big money spinner. Reflecting a generally flawed understanding of what the weed means to people at street-level.
For the foreseeable future (like sugar cane and banana), ganja will remain an important subsistence agricultural output, to many small farmers. At another level, the weed will always be special to those who believe in its: spiritual, medicinal, and recreational merits. For ganja is most potent as a cultural icon, not so much as a consumer product.
While understanding governments aiming to sell ganja and ganja rights, (like sugar and banana) ganja will only enrich businesses and countries, positioned to achieve and market significant value-added from the humble herb. For those reasons, it is my considered opinion that, ganja’s most potent contribution to many developing economies, will continue to be at the level of the unofficial market, until customs and excise charges on imports of Ganja products start flowing in to national treasuries.
As part of that “grey economy”, mid-level criminals will continue to take risk with moving semi processed ganja, to metropolitan societies, until:
• The weed is universally free, devaluing ganja in its primary form, like sugar cane and banana.
• And a trading regime is agreed, allowing international shipment of ganja and ganja products, using official transportation systems backed by international banks and insurance companies.
Even then, only those companies and countries with the ability to industrialize and refine ganja and market exciting new products, will reap big profits and significant fiscal rewards.
In the meantime, I expect that big criminal enterprises will (gradually merge their ganja interests into the officially licensed ganja market. Over time, ganja will (gradually) leave the streets, and take its regular and beneficial place: in the hearts and minds of the people and on the agenda of corporate board meetings, cabinets and parliaments.
Article: “The UN removes cannabis from a list of the most dangerous substances”
Walk good until next time.
Arvel Grant
Political and Current Affairs Analyst