Street ganja scarce after Melissa

Street-level ganja vendors across Jamaica are struggling to restock after Hurricane Melissa tore through western farms, leaving supply chains in disarray. On the streets of Kingston, small vendors face frustrated customers, while licensed herb houses continue business as usual, their inventories untouched by the storm.

"My supplier a start back from ground zero," Paul*, a middleman in the illegal trade, told THE STAR. He said that before Melissa, he had no problem sourcing "local weed", which he purchased for about $15,000 per pound.

"You can't get that now," Paul said.

"Before Melissa, mi could come back with 20, 30, even 40 pounds. Now, God bless if you can get two pounds. Mi can't even sell a $100 bag any more; everything is $500 and up," he added.

Rupert Walters, vice-president of the Ganja Growers and Producers Association of Jamaica, said the Category 5 storm, which struck on October 28, caused significant damage to some farms.

"There is some devastation for the growers, and I am not just speaking about the licensed farmers, but also the so-called traditional growers," Walters said. He was, however, quick to point out that despite the impact on some farms, "there is still a significant amount [of ganja] available".

"Presently, we have about three years' worth of ganja from both licensed and traditional farmers," Walters added.

Since 2015, possession of up to two ounces of ganja is no longer a criminal offence. However, dealing in cannabis remains illegal -- except through licensed dispensaries, which supply the public legally.

Walters explained that many legal ganja farmers had taken precautionary measures to reduce potential losses ahead of the hurricane.

"A lot of people reaped leading up to Melissa, and also secured a significant amount of seedling to ensure that they could replant immediately after Melissa," he said.

"I was in Westmoreland about three weeks ago, and I know the farmers are replanting," he said.

Despite these efforts, the hurricane dealt a major blow to the island's most recognised ganja-producing areas.

"Westmoreland [was] hit hard, St Elizabeth [was] hit hard, and those are the two most known ganja parishes," Walters said. "St Ann got a little hit ... St James, also, but from all the reports it is said that about three years' worth of ganja is available," he said.

Meanwhile, Paul said that while Melissa has severely impacted the underground trade, the kush remains available -- but at a premium price.

"I don't know about the bigger guys, but the small man like me is experiencing a shortage, because mi get mi weed straight from Westmoreland. There is a shortage of local herbs, but there is no shortage of kush," the retailer said.

He explained that kush, often considered a premium product, is largely unaffordable for everyday consumers and unprofitable for small-scale street vendors to resell.

"There is weed, but not what the everyday man can afford. The top stores have kush, but who can buy it? Not the man on the road. It's very high-grade, very uptown. I can't buy that and make a profit, and a man can't buy that every day," he added.

In contrast, licensed dispensaries report no such disruption. Mykal Cushnie, marketing and projects manager at Itopia Life Herb House, which supplies mainly Kingston, St Andrew, and St Catherine, said cannabis sales remain strong.

"We have not shifted our suppliers. In fact, for the holiday period we have specials as we work to clear existing stock to make room for new supply, which we already have," Cushnie said.

*Name changed to protect identity