Wrap up a draw fi de lawyer

Wrap up a draw fi commissioner

Wrap up a draw fi de doctor

Wrap up a draw fi natty binghi dread, alright

— Herbman Hustling (Sugar Minott)

— Herbman Hustling (Sugar Minott)

Steps to decriminalise ganja in Jamaica has everyone kicking their heels — from Natty Binghi Dread to doctors and lawyers. But deejay Jesse Jendah believes most of those suddenly hailing the weed are hypocrites.

Jendah infamously offered Prime Minister PJ Patterson a portion of ganja during his meeting with entertainers at Jamaica House in January 2002. Patterson refused.

The fiery Jendah finds it ironic that Patterson is now chairman of Medicanja Limited, a company looking to capitalise on a potentially lucrative Jamaican ganja market.

“Not surprised…everyone and their mother, grandmother and great-grandmother gonna want in…even the churches. One thing though, they will not want the Rastafari community to benefit…who bare the wrath of the system for ‘deadcades’,” Jendah told the Jamaica Observer from his base in the United States.

He said Rastafarians, who were persecuted for many years by the Jamaican State for using ganja, should have first call from any financial boon.

“Benefit all who’ve been fighting for it all these years and no benefit for those who were fighting against it,” he quipped.

According to Jendah, he has advocated legalisation of ganja in Jamaica since 1993. He expressed this in some of his songs including

Weed Free and Sipcup.

Medicanja Jamaica Limited was launched in October 2014 with Dr Henry Lowe as executive chairman and chief scientist. It will market products made from medicinal ganja by Bio-Tech R&D Institute, its parent parent company, which is also owned by Lowe.

The Jamaican Government first announced intentions to decriminalise ganja in late 2014. In April last year, legislation was passed in the Senate allowing individuals to use small amounts of ganja without being prosecuted.

Jendah said he received little support from some of the other Rastafarian artistes who were at the meeting with Patterson 14 years ago.

“The backlash was from a few Rastafari artiste who were ‘die-hearted’ PNP. Some wanted I dead…saying that I diss dem boss.”