Jamaica created a new route into its regulated cannabis market, but a permit alone cannot guarantee that traditional farmers will share in the profits.
The Cubans have cigars, and Jamaicans have ganja. So why have the traditional farmers behind Jamaica’s most celebrated crop struggled to find a place in its legal cannabis industry?
In April 2026, Jamaica’s Cannabis Licensing Authority launched two special permit programs intended to bring traditional and small-scale ganja farmers into the regulated market. The permits lower some of the financial and technical barriers that have kept growers outside the system, while giving them access to support and legal buyers.
As we say in Jamaica: a wah di bumboclaat?
More politely, has Jamaica missed the boat on cannabis? Maybe not. But whether the new permits become a real economic opportunity, rather than another promise from the top down, will depend on what happens next.
In June 2026, I sat down with two advocates for greater participation in Jamaica’s cannabis industry: longtime ganja advocate Verald Vassel, better known as Ras Iyah V, and molecular biologist Professor Wayne McLaughlin. The Cannabis Licensing Authority currently lists both men as directors.
Both believe that traditional farmers belong in the regulated market. Ras Iyah V remains deeply skeptical about the forces keeping them out. McLaughlin believes the new permits could finally provide a workable path inside.
Professor Wayne McLaughlin, a lecturer at The University of the West Indies, Mona, who has dedicated over 40 years to research and development in Jamaica. Used with permission.
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Jamaica changed its ganja laws in 2015, but it did not legalize cannabis for unrestricted adult use. Under the amended Dangerous Drugs Act, possession of two ounces or less became a non-arrestable, ticketable offense that does not result in a criminal record. Police …
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Author: Kevin S Bourke / High Times
