Westmoreland ganja farmers sign up to become legal

Western Bureau:

Hundreds of cannabis [ganja] farmers from communities across Westmoreland Western gathered in Orange Hill last Thursday for a registration drive aimed at helping them transition from the informal market into Jamaica's regulated cannabis industry.

The event, which was spearheaded by Ian Hayles, the member of parliament (MP) for the constituency, brought together farmers, industry stakeholders, and representatives from the agricultural sector to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing Jamaica's cannabis industry.

Hayles told the attendees that recent changes to regulations under the Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA) have created new opportunities for ordinary Jamaicans to legally participate in an industry that many of the communities have depended on for generations.

"The regulations under the Cannabis Licensing Authority have changed,” he explained. “More Jamaicans can now sign up to do what they did illegally. They can now sign up to do it legally. 

"A vast majority of my constituency plants cannabis, ganja or marijuana, any one you want to call it. Because the regulation has now changed, what we are doing here today is registering all of the farmers in Westmoreland Western," he added.

According to Hayles, the registration process is necessary because many farmers continue to face law enforcement operations despite growing public support for cannabis reform.

"One of the things that have been happening over the last couple of months, [is that] there are several hundred raids which have been happening in the constituency. When the police come in, they seize the goods, they burn it and it has caused some problems," he said.

Hayles stressed that cannabis cultivation has long played an important role in supporting families and financing education.

"Let's not fool ourselves, this is a part of the economy, and it is what a lot of people depend on to go to school, to send their kids to university," he said. “And as I said before, we have thousands of doctors and lawyers, judges and police officers in this country that it’s marijuana or ganja that has sent them to school."

According to Hayles, bringing more farmers into the legal industry could strengthen the local economy while reducing arrests and criminal charges associated with cultivation.

"I'm tired of seeing people going to jail daily. I'm just tired of seeing people just running all over the place from earning a living," he said. "I want to ensure [that] after all this process is over, we can ensure that the citizens of Westmoreland Western can go home to their families every single evening and you don't end up in a jail cell."

Hayles also urged Jamaica to move more aggressively in developing its cannabis industry, warning that other countries are rapidly expanding their own markets.

"We can't continue as a country to look down on cannabis. Let's not sit back and wait and allow the industry to pass us by. Sugar is dead. Sugar is dead here in Westmoreland," he said.  "This is something that we can build back Westmoreland on. So, it's changing from one crop to another."

Orange Hill farmer Rodrock Capash described the event as a historic moment for cannabis growers in the area.

“Today, in my whole life, it is a revolution. And this revolution becomes the true substance of I eyes and ears,” Capash said. “I give thanks to the MP. And believe you me, Mr Hayles, this is what we were yearning for. To have the spiritual free in our mind, spirit and family.

"We are unique and strategic in the earth placement,” he said, noting that Orange Hill possesses a long-standing tradition of cannabis cultivation and should be recognised for its contribution to the industry.

Long-standing ganja advocate Ras Iyah V said the registration exercise represented an important first step toward integrating local growers into the formal industry, noting that many residents in communities such as Orange Hill, Brighton and Little Bay have traditionally relied on cannabis cultivation as their primary source of income. 

He further explained that while farmer registration is important, developing markets for cannabis products will be equally critical.

"When you have all of these farmers producing ganja, how are these ganja going to be sold?" he asked, noting that "access to the international market is not easy”.

He suggested that establishing an extraction facility in Westmoreland Western could help create additional value for local producers.

"The next step I would suggest to Ian [Hayles] is to make sure that an extraction facility is established in Western Westmoreland so people planting their herbs can always come and get it extracted and manufactured into by-products because it's not going to be easy to market raw ganja buds internationally, it is easier to market by-products.

Arguing that Jamaica has taken too long to utilise the potential of the industry, he said, "We are already behind. But we can play catch up as much as possible.”

Howard Williams, of H&L Agro, which provides a wide range of agricultural inputs for cannabis farmers, including pesticides, fungicides, herbicides and nutritional products, said the company stands ready to support the farmers.

"We are here to support our marijuana farmers with our agricultural inputs as it relates to our pesticides, our fungicides, and also our herbicides," said Williams, who noted that the products are not limited to cannabis production.

 "Once it is plant-related, it is very important that we cater for our horticulturalists as well, those persons who deal with flowers. So, when it comes down to our marijuana farmers, it's no different."

Williams also pointed out that it is important to maintain soil fertility and replacing nutrients depleted through cultivation.
"Over time, when you use the soil, the soil is going to lose valuable properties, such as its nutrients," he explained. "So, it is best to put back into the soil or to ameliorate the soil to make the conditions better so that the plants can get the necessary nutrients that they need."

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