News Americas, New York, NY, November 14, 2024: A Grammy Award-winning reggae artist is calling on all Caribbean governments to decriminalize marijuana.
Reggae artist Damian “Junior Gong” Marley, son of late reggae great Robert “Nesta’ Marley,” is highlighting its medical benefits and cultural significance. Appearing Oct. 26 at the World Creole Music Festival in Dominica, Marley urged more nations to follow in the footsteps of countries that have eased restrictions on cannabis.
A long-time advocate for the use of marijuana in personal and religious contexts, Marley emphasized the plant’s healing potential, performing his hit song “Medication” alongside his brother, Stephen Marley. During the performance, Marley recited a poem celebrating the therapeutic and industrial uses of cannabis, highlighting the scientific and cultural support for decriminalization.
Marley praised Dominica for decriminalizing possession of small amounts in 2020, which allows up to 28 grams for personal use and the cultivation of three plants. Since 2014, several Caribbean territories – including Bermuda, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Kitts and Nevis and the US Virgin Islands – have passed or passed laws decriminalizing the use of small amounts of marijuana . Additionally, Barbados and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines have legalized the cultivation of medical cannabis.
As more Caribbean countries consider easing cannabis regulations, including Guyana and the Bahamas, Marley hopes to see regional governments expand recognition of marijuana’s role in both health care and cultural practices, particularly for the Rastafarian community.
In 2016, Marley, the youngest son of reggae legend and cannabis cult hero Bob Marley, went into business with legal weed company Ocean Grown Extracts to convert a 77,000-square-foot former California prison to a cannabis grower who would grow medical marijuana for state dispensaries. In 2017, he was also one of 20 investors who acquired a 60 percent stake in High Times, its digital media platforms and its ever-popular Cannabis Cup trade shows. His net worth is estimated at $20 million.
