Aidonia celebrates being part of Jamaica’s herb story

It's been nearly 10 years since 'Low Di Trees', a musical fusion between dancehall hitmaker Aidonia and conscious reggae singer Tarrus Riley, was released.

The song was a message to the government, law enforcers, environmentalists, and scientists to accept marijuana as a prospective means of creating revenue and to see the plant as, like Jacob Miller and many other musicians have called it, 'the healing of the nation'.

The song would be one from a large catalogue dedicated to showing the deejay's respect and love for marijuana, which includes the 2014 remix of American rapper Kid Cudi'sDay 'N' Nite titledSmoke,La La Land,Bagga Weed, Ganja Farmer and Kush Inna Mi Brain, among others.

This week marks a celebration of the entertainer's advocacy for the acceptance and legalisation of marijuana, signing on as the first official dancehall ambassador for the medical cannabis brand Epican.

Speaking toThe WEEKEND STAR following the announcement of what was called "the groundbreaking partnership with dancehall", Aidonia said, "This means a great deal for the genre of dancehall and its contributors. Dancehall has played a role in being part of the epic 'herb story', where it actually becomes legalised, and I am happy to be part of history in the making."

The dancehall deejay says he was introduced to marijuana while attending high school but did not start using it until the focus changed to music.

"Everybody know my life, Aidonia life. I depend on the herb as a medicine to open up my brain cells and let the words flow. I would say early bird catches the most herb," said the deejay, who prefers to utilise the Sativa strains of the plant.

Although never victimised for using marijuana, which he explains is owed to his upbringing, having being raised by a teacher mother and former soldier father, he fought lyrically for the right to use it.

"My mother, especially, taught me to respect people's space. I don't smoke in public places. it stays in my personal corner. People need to learn how to respect others and keep it cool," he said.

He also communicated the importance of educating oneself and each other about the types and uses of marijuana.

Stating that not every 'corner shop' can be trusted, he said, "With the legalisation, it is an even greater priority to let the youths learn the fundamentals of the herb, do proper research, and understand the benefits and the risks. Epican is the right place, and it is grown with love."