Montego Bay: Ganja Plantation Tour

When people think of Jamaica, marijuana—often called ‘ganja’—is one of the first associations that comes to mind, largely due to the influence of the Rastafarian community, popularized worldwide by Bob Marley and reggae music. For Rastafarians, marijuana is a sacred substance used in spiritual rituals, and smoking it is an integral part of their religious ceremonies. However, despite its strong cultural presence, marijuana is not fully legal in Jamaica. In mid-2015, a drug law amendment decriminalized small amounts for personal use, making possession of up to two ounces a petty offence with a fine, and allowing households to cultivate up to five plants. Rastafari adults were also granted the right to use marijuana sacramentally, making Jamaica the first country to explicitly legalize religious use. Medical marijuana is now legal, with the government aiming to enter the emerging global medical cannabis market, allowing possession for therapeutic purposes and regulating cultivation and distribution through a licensing authority. This has opened the door for cannabis tourism, where visitors with medical prescriptions or permits can legally consume marijuana, and many tourists enjoy guided tours of outdoor marijuana farms. Visitors are reminded to consume or gift all marijuana before leaving, as transporting it out of the country is still illegal and considered drug trafficking.