Wayne Armond remembers the dark days in Jamaica when persons who smoked marijuana were either prosecuted or marginalized. Things have changed for the better since 2015, thanks to groundbreaking legislation in his country.
On ‘Kush’, his latest song, Armond welcomes the global acceptance of marijuana, or ganja as it is known in Jamaica. It is produced by My MM Productions.
“It’s a celebratory message. After advocating for years, artists like PeterTosh, Bob (Marley) and Toots (Hibbert) have all passed before seeing their dream at least come to pass in certain states in the USA and decriminalized in Jamaica,” he said.
Armond is a co-founder of Chalice, a band that had a number of hit songs during the 1980s such as ‘Good to Be There’, ‘I’m Trying’ and ‘Revival Time’. Now based in South Florida, he is targeting “the powers that be” with ‘Kush’ which was released in early November.
Persons who used ganja in Jamaica — even after the country gained independence from Great Britain in 1962 — were usually prosecuted. Artists including Bunny Wailer and Toots were jailed for possession of the weed.
But in 2015, legislators began drafting policies in the senate, to make the country’s laws less draconian. Persons found with small amounts of ganja are now exempt from prosecution, and the country now has a booming ganja industry.
Armond and fellow Jamaican Orville Marshall are principals of My MM Productions. The company has produced songs by Luciano, JC Lodge and The Greaves Brothers.
