Netflix has released a documentary on ganja called “The Grass Is Greener” that focuses on the links between ganja and pop culture. Featured in the film are reggae legend Bunny Wailer and Damian “Junior Gong” Marley, The 90-minute documentary was directed by Fab 5 Freddy and was released on 4/20/2019 to celebrate the legalization of marijuana worldwide. In addition to Wailer and Marley, the film features the rappers Snoop Dogg and B-Real of Cypress Hill. The film also discusses the use of ganja by other music legends like Louis Armstrong and Bob Marley. For the film Fab 5 Freddy interviewed Bunny Wailer in the latter part of 2017 in Sligoville, St. Catherine, an area revered by Rastafarians and the ganja movement in Jamaica. Wailer, 72, is unapologetic in his advocacy of the legal use of marijuana. He sponsored the first Ganja March in Jamaica in 1996. Wailer’s son Asadenaki and Blvk H3ro sing the theme song of the film, which is also called “The Grass Is Greener.” The song is distributed by Dubshot Records headed by Chris Schlarb and will have its official release on May 3, 2019.

Schlarb believes the documentary and the song offer an accurate history of ganja and Jamaica. “It’s telling a story of Rastafarian culture and its impact on music and the world. The song was actually made on the set in Pinnacle, which makes it really cool,” he said. The settlement of Pinnacle was established by Leonard Howell, who is considered the “father” of the Rastafarian movement by some historians. Pinnacle was a commune in which Rastafarians produced art and made craft items. Raided by police in 1945, authorities believed it had a thriving ganja industry. The popularity of the roots-reggae scene in the 1970s saw Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, and Peter Tosh rise as some of the Rastafarian artists who aggressively advocated in their music for the legalization of ganja. Singe 2015, Jamaica’s government has enacted laws that have gradually decriminalized ganja use in the country.

Information and Photo Source: Netflix