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What are the origins of Jamaican marijuana?

Where does jamaican cannabis come from?
Is it indigenous?
Does it come from people who brought it there/ Africa / India?
Is it a naturally occuring caribbean landrace or a mix of two or all of these?

I am speaking about old jamaican strains.

any info, thanks
 

TanzanianMagic

Well-known member
Veteran
Where does jamaican cannabis come from?
Is it indigenous?
Does it come from people who brought it there/ Africa / India?
Is it a naturally occuring caribbean landrace or a mix of two or all of these?

I am speaking about old jamaican strains.

any info, thanks
For what it's worth, you should check out the Phylo Galaxy website.

One strain the tested was called/labeled Jamaican Lambsbread 60/70

https://phylos.bio/sims/sample/genotype/7g32evow
https://phylos.bio/galaxy/variety/CRT-1685/david-watson/jamaican-lambsbread-6070

It is a landrace, and is most like the Columbian strains, which would make sense.

There may be more phenotypes out there.
 

thandee

Active member
Where does jamaican cannabis come from?
Is it indigenous?
Does it come from people who brought it there/ Africa / India?
Is it a naturally occuring caribbean landrace or a mix of two or all of these?

I am speaking about old jamaican strains.

any info, thanks

Hi ....:)
Jamaican ganja origines is of course AFRICA!....
And from different places of Africa like Kenya,Ethiopia,zimbabwe,Ghana,Zambia,Senegal and others and the weed in Africa came from Arab countries like India general region,Afghanistan general region in ancient years.....
And there is chances as you said of crossings in ancient times with local wild Jamaican mountain ganja!....
That is all i know from Jam people and personal searches!....
Thandee!
:tiphat:
 
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Sam_Skunkman

"RESIN BREEDER"
Moderator
Veteran
Jamaican was from India and Africa there was no Cannabis in the Americas pre 1492, it all came from elsewhere.

We will never find out as all the Cannabis in Jamaica is now hybrids of local Jamaican from Africa or India and WLD's from Westerners that brought INDICA. Good luck to find any pure Jamaican landraces, they are all hybrids today.

-SamS
 

Gry

Well-known member
The British navy ruled the world. I would imagine they grew cannabis at every port they could to set up rope walks and for sail repair.
 

CrossBones

Active member
Jamaican was from India and Africa there was no Cannabis in the Americas pre 1492, it all came from elsewhere.

We will never find out as all the Cannabis in Jamaica is now hybrids of local Jamaican from Africa or India and WLD's from Westerners that brought INDICA. Good luck to find any pure Jamaican landraces, they are all hybrids today.

-SamS


Those old time pot smoking sailors, never gave that much thought before, but ??? The America's are a big place.. 500 years and a invasive species, possible,, Interesting view.. what about the American Indian peace pipe? pre 1492?
 

Emperortaima

Namekian resident/farmer
Jamaican was from India and Africa there was no Cannabis in the Americas pre 1492, it all came from elsewhere.

We will never find out as all the Cannabis in Jamaica is now hybrids of local Jamaican from Africa or India and WLD's from Westerners that brought INDICA. Good luck to find any pure Jamaican landraces, they are all hybrids today.

-SamS

Interesting, that would definitely make sense. Have grown a jamaincan kings bread it was male but had an intoxicating aroma and grew and rooted quick
 

therevverend

Well-known member
Veteran
Sam is correct.
The Phylos Lab test is not surprising. Keep in mind it's just one sample out of hundreds of strains. Even though it was a hard catch for them to make remember that ganja is still illegal and persecuted in Jamaica.
Most growers, especially old timers,. are rightly very paranoid and don't want cameras, drones, snitches, cops, army, genetic testers with computers, anywhere near their patches. I'm not surprised they had trouble finding the old school stuff.
My theory for what it's worth is that the Columbian was the first hybrid cannabis to hit the island. Before that the strains would have been primarily Indian. Sam says some African influence, can't argue with that but I'd think it would be small.
There was excellent Columbian ganja imported to the US since at least the 1950s. Of very high quality, it's always had the reputation of being better then Jamaican. Jamaica is an excellent point to smuggle pot to the US especially after Cuba got closed off in 1960. I'd guess after 1960 it was readily available and hybridized with or replaced many of the Jamaican landraces.
 
W

Water-

Jamaica was an British colony.

They brought a lot of Indians to Jamaica to work

"Coolie, (from Hindi Kuli, an aboriginal tribal name, or from Tamil kuli, “wages”), in usually pejorative European usage, an unskilled labourer or porter usually in or from the Far East hired for low or subsistence wages.

The so-called coolie trade began in the late 1840s as a response to the labour shortage brought on by the worldwide movement to abolish slavery. "


They refer to cannabis using the Indian term Ganja and also the Rastafarians adopted the dreadlocks of the Indian ascetics.

Pretty sure India would be the main original source.
 
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Cvh

Well-known member
Supermod
The african connection comes from the freed slaves who brought it with them after they settled in the Caribbean region.

Rastafarians still refer up to this day to their African roots.
 
W

Water-

Those old time pot smoking sailors, never gave that much thought before, but ??? The America's are a big place.. 500 years and a invasive species, possible,, Interesting view.. what about the American Indian peace pipe? pre 1492?

Tobacco pipes
 
W

Water-

The african connection comes from the freed slaves who brought it with them after they settled in the Caribbean region.

Do you mean the Maroons?

the african connection would most likely be derive from trade between British Colonies in Africa and the Americas.

The British grew cannabis in South Africa to give to the mine workers to keep them working, like coffee.

Ive wondered if that is why the Herb is so speedy and motivating there.

Maybe good work weed had been already bread in India and the British had brought it to Africa to keep their slaves working.
 
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Bush Dr

Painting the picture of Dorian Gray
Veteran
The British navy ruled the world. I would imagine they grew cannabis at every port they could to set up rope walks and for sail repair.

Perfectly correct, also maintained them until the 50's

The weed chosen was mainly tall African sativas to give long fibres

The British Navy had locations all around the globe in case they needed to repair rigging, often with Army bases next door to guard them, I grew up on one in Kenya

A single frigate uses 12 miles of rope, a man o war 20+
 

Elmer Bud

Genotype Sex Worker AKA strain whore
Veteran
G `day Sam

I read that back in the 70s a lot of Colombian weed came to Jamaica .
Seeds from those lots were collected and grown . Creating hybrids with the local ganja .
So from 80s onwards the old school ganja was getting harder to find .
Long before the "Skonk " arrived .

Thanks for sharin

EB .
 

troutman

Seed Whore
Get some Indian and African Landrace seeds.

Plant them all together on a Caribbean island and don't let the Natives get high on their own supply.

Maybe in 200 years when a new Landrace evolves you'll have some new Jamaican again.
 

sdd420

Well-known member
Veteran
Sam is correct.
The Phylos Lab test is not surprising. Keep in mind it's just one sample out of hundreds of strains. Even though it was a hard catch for them to make remember that ganja is still illegal and persecuted in Jamaica.
Most growers, especially old timers,. are rightly very paranoid and don't want cameras, drones, snitches, cops, army, genetic testers with computers, anywhere near their patches. I'm not surprised they had trouble finding the old school stuff.
My theory for what it's worth is that the Columbian was the first hybrid cannabis to hit the island. Before that the strains would have been primarily Indian. Sam says some African influence, can't argue with that but I'd think it would be small.
There was excellent Columbian ganja imported to the US since at least the 1950s. Of very high quality, it's always had the reputation of being better then Jamaican. Jamaica is an excellent point to smuggle pot to the US especially after Cuba got closed off in 1960. I'd guess after 1960 it was readily available and hybridized with or replaced many of the Jamaican landraces.

I thought they legalized maybe it’s only medical though
 
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