Marijuana is illegal in Jamaica. The Rasta culture, which speaks largely to displaced/disenfranchised, embraces it as a sort of article of faith, as it were. It is of symbolic significance, and the government recognizing it as illegal is, from that perspective, just one more way that they *don't* recognize the Rasta (and by extension, the poor and "culturally conscious" generally) as legitimate. From their perspective, a good and useful drug, moreover one that is important to their religion/spirituality, is kept illegal for the dual reasons of greed and because it is associated with "undesirables." A big part of the Rastas' critique is that this quality of supposed undesirableness is that which is the African, the Black, etc. versus the Colonizer. So, the attack on marijuana is an attack on their culture, etc.

Here's a try at the lyrics for Black Uhuru's "Sinsemilla":

I've got a stalk of Sinsemilla grooming in my backyard

Don't cut down the collie tree
Cause it make the best tea for me
I've seen doctor say it is naturally
One thing must start to believe a lot of fool
To survive and go through in Babylon

Yes I've walked the streets and seen children downtown
Begging everyone they see, and it hurt me
It can't be right for what this world do for the youth
The little herb I'm selling; they want to capture me
I and I don't cherish wickedness, because it's non-profit to I and I

Anything that is non-profit, I and I don't take for it
Fussies, fussies all over I and I
No need to fret, for I and I shall [??]

There is red house over yonder full of marijuana
[??] sitting on corner chatting it with informer

Free the herb, little herb
Heal the nation, heal the sick
Sell, sell that collie herb
You could be rich, have everything you would want in life
Some of us going on like it don't want a thing in life
So we go round like worm, no no
I'd rather to sell stalk of sensimilla

people touch what [??] for marijuana


Here's a recent song with a similar strident tone:
Bun Di Ganja

Herb tree grow like flowers a me yard
Till dem say why Papa Chezi a di real herb lord!
Say me burn de ganja, burn de ganja, burn de ganja real hard

Bad t'ings 'appen a me can't [bad a] bawl
And me say me can't take de botheration, no not at all
Say me burn de ganja, burn de ganja, burn de ganja real hard

Mi got herb inna mi chalice pipe, herb inna mi tea
Herb inna mi system; chemically free
Organically, medically, proven to be
De perfect solution fi all malady
Mi seh indoor, outdoor
Tell di farmer: plant more
Legalize the herb for the people dem poor
ETC

Almost sounds like an advertising jingle!