Caribbean

Reggae star Tabby Diamond killed in Jamaica

Posted on March 30th, 2022 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , .

Tabby DiamondReggae group the Mighty Diamonds' lead singer Tabby Diamond (née Donald Shaw) was shot and killed in Jamaica in a drive-by attack on March 29. Five people were hit with two dying in the St. Andrew South area. Shaw was 67.

The Mighty Diamonds were founded in 1967, but didn't release their first album until 1976. Their best-known song, 1981's "Pass the Kouchie," is about smoking ganja. One year later, Musical Youth's cover of the song, retitled "Pass the Dutchie," was a No. 10 hit in the US.

Reggae icon Bunny Wailer passes on at 73

Posted on March 2nd, 2021 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , .

Bunny WailerBunny Wailer, a founder of the reggae musical genre, died in Kingston on March 2 at the age of 73. He was the last surviving member of the original Wailers, following Bob Marley's death from cancer in 1981, and Peter Tosh's murder during a robbery in 1987.

Son of Peter Tosh dies after prison beating

Posted on August 26th, 2020 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , , , , , , .

JawaraThe son of late reggae legend Peter Tosh, himself a successful musical artist who recorded under the stage name Tosh 1, has died at the age of 40. He'd never fully recovered from a brutal 2017 beating in a New Jersey jail, where he was serving time on a cannabis charge.

Edward Seaga death recalls One Love Peace Concert —and Jamaica's near-destabilization

Posted on May 31st, 2019 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , .

One LoveOne of the most iconic events in Jamaica's history as an independent country was the One Love Peace Concert of April 22, 1978, organized by reggae superstar Bob Marley in response to the wave of deadly political violence that was then gripping the island nation.

At the climax of the event, Marley, amid a rendition of his hit "Jammin'," brought Jamaica's two rival political leaders on to the stage at the National Stadium in Kingston, and made them shake hands. They were both reluctant, and the shake was awkward, mutually grudging. But it happened, an ebullient Marley standing between the two sullen statesmen, literally guiding their hands together with his own.

One of these two rivals was then Prime Minister Michael Manley, a populist of the left. The other was his conservative opponent, Edward Seaga—who has just died on his 89th birthday, May 28.

Caribbean emerges as new cannabis marketplace

Posted on March 11th, 2019 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , , .

CaribbeanAs a commercial cannabis industry is established in Jamaica, more Caribbean nations are moving toward decriminalization and establishing medical marijuana programs. Saint Vincent & the Grenadines was the latest to take this move, and it looks like Saint Kitts & Nevis will be next. Dominica and Grenada are studying such proposals, and cannabis tourism is anticipated.

Medical marijuana legalized in US Virgin Islands

Posted on January 26th, 2019 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , , , , , .

CaribbeanFollowing a campaign by local advocates, the US Virgin Islands passed a medical marijuana law that allows home cultivation for qualifying patients. Basking in victory, the territory's activists still anticipate protection of sacramental use by Rastafarians—and general legalization.

UN 'shadow report' blasts drug war as 'failure'

earthAn international network of non-governmental organizations has submitted a "shadow report" to the United Nations, calling the war on drugs a "spectacular failure"—and calling on the world's governments to reconsider it. The report takes heart from the growing official tolerance of cannabis in several countries around the world, but warns of escalating and horrific repression in the name of drug enforcement in several others. Will the UN take heed when it revisits the question of drug policy in 2019?

Multi-billion dollar legal cannabis industry foreseen for Latin America

Posted on October 9th, 2018 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

leafOver the past two years, the Latin American cannabis industry has "emerged from the shadows" to command the attention of international firms and investors. Legal cannabis sales within the region are on track to reach $125 million in 2018—but that figure is expected to rise to $12.7 billion by 2028.

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