Ganja farmers want a break

Some ganja farmers in western Jamaica are blaming a government programme geared at preventing illegal cannabis cultivation of destroying their livelihoods.

The farmers, who claim to employ up to 300 people to reap ganja, at a rate of $5,000 per day, said they cannot fit within the legal marijuana trade, and are being pushed to the brink by a system that is constantly sending its officers to destroy their crops.

"A we the small man a bring the community. A just bout three likkle teachers in here and a dung the road them come from. So a man like we dem fi look out fah and mek we eat a food inna the thing. If we nuh in deh, it still nah go work out. Dem caa leff we out a it," said one farmer.

The Government last year implemented the Alternative Development Programme geared towards transitioning current illicit ganja farmers into the legal regulated industry.

But the farmers, who illegally cultivate ganja, said that regime is too restrictive.

Hurting community members

Among the stipulations of the programme are that the ganja plants be tagged under a track-and-trace mechanism. No farmer is allowed to cultivate more than half an acre.

But the farmers say that the continuous push to get small farmers out of the illicit trade is hurting community members.

"The man weh no plant it, him work wid we and get him pay and him can send him pickney go school out a it and pay him school fee," he said. "A $5,000 a day we pay the man, enuh! Which company ina dis country a pay $5,000 a day? And a nuh tradesman ... dem just a pick ganja. Nuh employment nuh deh yah, so man like me affi inna the system."

Another farmer is adamant that as the original cultivators, they want a piece of the cake.

"No big man caa come round we come survive and lef we out a door, enuh! We a guh find some way fi eat food out a it too. There's no way we a go siddung and allow you fi have everything and we caa have nothing. Yah seh my own illegal, so yah go fight it. When black man back against the wall, yuh know weh that mean. We a guh fight back!" he declared confidently. "We nuh afi in deh big time, but find something fi we. Talk to we."

The Cannabis Licensing Authority has issued 50 licences for operations in the medical cannabis industry.

The regulator said it is exploring the establishment of a transitional permit to facilitate the ease in which small farmers can enter the medicinal cannabis industry.