Jamaica at Risk of Marijuana Shortage
Jamaica is facing the threat of a marijuana shortage, a situation caused by a combination of factors. Since the start of the last planting season, the island experienced heavy rains, which were then followed by a prolonged drought at the beginning of the year. These extreme weather conditions led to the loss of a significant portion of the crop, prompting locals to panic-buy marijuana both on the legal and underground markets. Additionally, as the market has gradually become more regulated, the number of both underground and licensed cultivators on the island has dropped, resulting in a noticeable reduction in marijuana cultivation areas. As a result, by the end of the month, even the island’s black market is expected to run out of ready-to-use product.
“Honestly, I’d say the current situation is just unbelievable. Surely, everyone on the island is experiencing a kind of ‘cultural shock’ at the fact that Jamaica is about to run out of marijuana,” says Triston Thompson, an analyst and negotiator at Tacaya, a business consulting firm specializing in the legal cannabis industry.
Background: Marijuana Laws and Culture in Jamaica
Jamaica, considered the world capital of Rastafarian culture and recreational marijuana use since the mid-20th century, decriminalized possession and use of marijuana in 2015. At the same time, laws were passed to regulate the use of marijuana and related products for therapeutic purposes and in religious rituals (with special exceptions made for the Rastafarian community, for whom the use of “ganja” is a sacred rite). Officially, authorities stopped prosecuting individuals found with less than 2 ounces (about 56 grams) of ready-to-use marijuana. In addition, any adult resident of the island is allowed to cultivate up to five marijuana plants at home for personal use.
Despite these laws making the therapeutic market highly accessible to both locals and tourists (the latter can obtain a temporary consumer card almost immediately upon arrival), many visitors and locals still buy marijuana from street dealers. Unfortunately, due to the factors already mentioned, even the underground market cannot meet the growing demand, as most of the expected harvest was lost to extreme weather.
Impact of Weather and COVID-19 Restrictions
The last cultivation season, which took place in late summer and fall of the previous year, was disastrous for local growers. First, young plants were flooded in the fall when several strong cyclones hit the island, and then they were hit by a record-setting drought in the winter. As a result, all outdoor plantations (which include most legal producers and all underground growers) suffered losses amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars in destroyed crops.
“We lost our entire crop for the season. Nothing was left,” reports private farmer Daniel Bortsa, who lives in the small historic village of Accompong in the island’s southwest. “At first, no one could reach their fields because a curfew was imposed due to approaching storms, so the uncovered plants were flooded and damaged by wind. After that, the sun came out, and people simply couldn’t water the surviving plants in time. In the end, many locals were left without a harvest by the end of the season.”
Bortsa notes that the previous year was already difficult for marijuana cultivators, as COVID-19 restrictions prevented private and underground farmers from tending to their outdoor crops effectively. “Locals couldn’t visit their fields as usual all year. In particular, police imposed a curfew in the early morning and evening, keeping most growers at home,” says Kenrick Wallace, another farmer from Accompong who owns a large, one-hectare plantation hidden in the nearby forests. Unlike many of his neighbors, Wallace managed to harvest about 300 pounds of buds last season, a fraction of the usual 700-800 pounds from a normal season. Overall, he estimates his losses over the past few months at $18,000.
Market Regulation and Increased Demand
In addition to weather conditions, many local experts believe that the process of regulating the previously underground market has also contributed to the marijuana shortage. Decriminalization and market regulation led to a restructuring of the industry and an influx of cannabis tourists, which significantly increased consumption levels.
“Last year was just terrible for Jamaica’s cannabis industry. Everything, from quarantine restrictions to the influx of tourists, worked against the market,” notes Thompson. “Now, for probably the first time in the country’s history, Jamaica will be left without access to ganja.”
Tourists have also begun to complain about the shortage, leaving reviews on various travel websites about the lack of marijuana at major resort destinations on the island.
Strict Regulation and the Survival of the Underground Market
According to Paul Burke, head of the National Association of Marijuana Producers, while decriminalization has almost completely eliminated the stigma around marijuana use among citizens and visitors, Jamaican authorities still strictly regulate unauthorized plantations, from which they do not receive revenue. “Although the reforms have set the country on the right path, in practice, the police are now much more active in cracking down on underground plantations,” he said in a phone interview. “While cops no longer arrest private farmers, they still destroy good ganja crops simply because their owners can’t afford an official producer’s license.”
Currently, the Jamaican government has certified only 29 commercial marijuana plantations. The remaining 73 business licenses have been issued to stores, warehouses, laboratories, transporters, and other cannabis-related enterprises. Licensed products are sold fairly freely in specialized stores, but due to business taxes and the need to purchase a consumer card to access these shops, prices remain high for many locals. As a result, the underground market continues to survive despite all the reforms.