Scores of residents and ganja farmers from communities across Westmoreland Western turned out to be registered as legitimate ganja farmers. Photo: Jamaica Gleaner

Hayles told the attendees that recent changes to regulations under the Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA) have created new opportunities for ordinary Jamaicans to legally participate in an industry that many of the communities have depended on for generations.

"The regulations under the Cannabis Licensing Authority have changed,” he explained. “More Jamaicans can now sign up to do what they did illegally. They can now sign up to do it legally.

"A vast majority of my constituency plants cannabis, ganja or marijuana, any one you want to call it. Because the regulation has now changed, what we are doing here today is registering all of the farmers in Westmoreland Western," he added.

According to Hayles, the registration process is necessary because many farmers continue to face law enforcement operations despite growing public support for cannabis reform.

"One of the things that have been happening over the last couple of months, [is that] there are several hundred raids which have been happening in the constituency. When the police come in, they seize the goods, they burn it and it has caused some problems," he said.

Hayles stressed that cannabis cultivation has long played an important role in supporting families and financing education.

"Let's not fool ourselves, this is a part of the economy, and it is what a lot of people depend on to go to school, to send their kids to university," he said. “And as I said before, we have thousands of doctors and lawyers, judges and police officers in this country that it’s marijuana or ganja that has sent them to school."

According to Hayles, bringing more farmers into the legal industry could strengthen the local economy while reducing arrests and criminal charges associated with cultivation.

"I'm tired of seeing people going to jail daily. I'm just tired of seeing people just running all over the place from earning a living," he said. "I want to ensure [that] after all this process is over, we can ensure that the citizens of Westmoreland Western can go home to their families every single evening and you don't end up in a jail cell."

Hayles also urged Jamaica to move more aggressively in developing its cannabis industry, warning that other countries are rapidly expanding their own markets.

"We can't continue as a country to look down on cannabis. Let's not sit back and wait and allow the industry to pass us by. Sugar is dead. Sugar is dead here in Westmoreland," he said. "This is something that we can build back Westmoreland on. So, it's changing from one crop to another."