Rasta Ganja Cartel - Group Threatens Pandemonium If Gov't Do

[Sir X]

"We will not stand by and watch anybody outside of Rastafari and grass-roots people take over this product. And we make no apology," association President Ras Iyah V declared during his address at the launch of the organisation at the MXIII Lawn in Negril on Sunday night.

"We are saying this loud and clear to the Government, we are saying it to society, and we are saying it to the international community. Otherwise, we will take to the streets and turn Jamaica upside down - and we make no apology," he said.

"Because we not going take baton lick and brutality and all of a sudden now when the legalisation aspect come, a some rich people come tek it ova - people who used to scoff and scorn at the very mention of the herb name ganja," he added.

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2.../western1.html

[Islandman]

Well at least they have the right idea. Question is, will the rastafarians who have the resources be willing to invest the capital required to establish an industry.

Would be great if they could pull it off.

Rastafarian attorney Miguel Lorne, who also addressed the gathering, said he was already conducting research as the aim was to establish a complete industry, producing value-added products, unlike Jamaica's bauxite industry, which only exports alumina, the secondary stage of bauxite.

"I want when we set up the industrial aspect of this, it must be in the very same locality where we grow the ganja. It musn't go to no factory somewhere, where we have no control over it. It must be here, so when we extract the oils for making the soap, the skin-care oil, hair oil, lip gloss, and the many products, it must be made right there so it provides employment for the people and the locality," he said, eliciting huge cheers from the audience.

"We respect those who do their research - whether they are at the University of the West Indies or other universities - we respect you. All those who come with different policies and programmes, we respect that. But, we ain't going to be growing to sell it to you. We are going to make that very clear because that is slavery all over again. We are wiser now because we know the value-added product gives you more income than the primary product," Lorne said.

[Jangle]

They can't. This is about commerce and many of them barely finish primary school.

[Islandman]

They could employ people who can, if the rastas with the money get involved.

[Jangle]

How many Rastas do you know have money in Jamaica? Pipe dream.

[Islandman]

Why do they have to be living in Jamaica? Rasta is a worldwide thing.

[Mosiah]

Do they have to be living in Jamaica?

I have already heard from a Rasta in NY who is planning to get in on the business as soon as it free up.

Him cash nuh suh strong yah now but there may be others with deep pockets!

I do agree with them though. It would be sad to see the industry taken over by people who scorned the product for years (is there any such group anymore?), leaving the people who planted it, smoked it, drank it, took baton licks for it, were scolded by our judges over it, were locked up...yeah, you got the point...left out in the cold, to remain poor, and worse, having to purchase it from the very people who have kept them where they are!

It seems inevitable that the "wrong" people will be involved at least to some degree.

[Islandman]

Exclusive access is unlikely to happen and I don't think it would be a good idea if the industry is to develop, but some kind of preferential access for groups who have been discriminated against because of weed would be the right thing to do.

None of that will matter though if they are not organized, have capital, and have some competent people in place to make it happen.

[Mosiah]

None of that will matter though if they are not organized, have capital, and have some competent people in place to make it happen.

What are the chances?

I can hardly remember any issue with which they presented a united and organised front, if any front at all. Even the Pinnacle issue or the Coral Gardens one, their protests have not been very organised.

[Islandman]

Not very good, but not impossible.

They will need to bring in outside people with expertise. If they refuse to do that I cannot see it happening.

[Mosiah]

True, and they would have only themselves to blame.

Excuse me while I go blend up a hemp protein smoothie!

[Sir X]

Yuh figet,locked up in mental institutions and killed for it....if that isnt a human rights issue then i am lost.

[Mosiah]

You are just the person wi a talk about - yapping, yapping, yapping. But when it comes to working, working, working...sigh!

[Sir X]

We need data on police abuse in Jamaica,thats what Jamaica needs,trust me you get that and you will have a revolutionary change in policing.

You will be able to link the establised cause of abuse , extrajudicial to minimal,i.e 90 % of ganja arrest likend to police abuse in garrisons,yet only 10 % of arrest linked to abuse out of garrisons.

Yapping to the worlll..pointing out hypocrysy and backwardness.

[Mosiah]

We need data on police abuse in Jamaica,thats what Jamaica needs,trust me you get that and you will have a revolutionary change in policing.

So who do you think might have such information?

kmft!