It would seem that the hip, new thing for young women to do when they go to shows and parties is smoke weed. Yes, you know, weed, ganja, cannabis, marijuana, pot, dope, grass, joint, spliff, roach, call it by whatever name you want, it’s a narcotic and it’s illegal. Yet young seemingly well-heeled women can be seen lighting up in public places and so far with impunity.
My first encounter with these spliff-sucking sisters was at the Beenie Man concert – the one before the last. There I was, singing along with the ‘King of Dancehall’ and minding my own and Beenie’s business of course when the unmistakable smell of cannabis wafted into my limited sphere of oxygen in the crowded Providence National Stadium. My first thought was that there must be a Rastaman or two or three nearby (no offence, Dread). But then I caught a glimpse of a thin tattooed arm passing the Dutchie (kouchie) ‘pon the left hand side to a well-manicured, definitely feminine hand and there was no preventing me openly staring in some shock. There were some four or five of them – no males in sight, which is not to say they might not have been in the group – enjoying a joint.
These girls who were between the ages of 18 and 25 (I hope) wore fancy outfits, high heels, jewellery, hot hairdos and pounds of makeup, with manicures and pedicures intact and they were so engrossed in what they were doing that they didn’t even catch me staring. And the spliff kept making the rounds as they rocked to the sounds of Beenie Man; dancing, singing and giggling.
I would have liked to believe that the
