For Bob Marley (1945 to 1981), cannabis was not recreation. He called it herb, and as a Rastafarian he treated it as a sacrament. It runs through his 1978 album Kaya, his 1977 arrest in London, and, four decades after his death, the cannabis brands his family licenses. In 2026 the Marley name was in two cannabis headlines: a lawsuit over unpaid royalties for the Marley Natural brand, and two new seed strains bred in Jamaica and California with his family’s backing.
Bob Marley and cannabis at a glance
| What he called it | Herb, ganja, kaya |
|---|---|
| Why | Rastafari, the faith he embraced in the 1960s, treats cannabis as a sacrament |
| Arrest | London, March 10, 1977, for possession; fined at Marylebone Magistrates’ Court |
| Album | Kaya, released March 23, 1978. Kaya is Jamaican slang for ganja |
| Not his song | “Legalize It” is by Peter Tosh (1976) |
| Family brand | Marley Natural, announced Nov 18, 2014; license ended by the estate in 2023 |
| Strain linked to him | Lamb’s Bread, by legend. Redemption and One Love (2026) are the family-backed strains |
| Latest | Estate sued Tilray in March 2026; new Marley seed strains released in June 2026 |
Every item on this page is taken from the public record and linked in the sources below. Page updated Oct 10, 2026.
Herb as sacrament
Marley was raised Catholic in rural Jamaica and turned to Rastafari in the 1960s. In Rastafari, cannabis is a sacrament, usually smoked communally at gatherings known as groundings, as an aid to reasoning and prayer. That is the frame for everything he said about it: he spoke of herb in religious terms, not as a drug.
The most quoted version of that idea, the line about herb revealing you to yourself, is a tidied paraphrase. The closest traceable wording is rougher and is cited in Martin Booth’s book Cannabis: A History; we could not locate the original interview. It is often assigned to a 1979 television interview he gave in New Zealand, which we could not verify.
The London arrest and Kaya
Marley moved to London after the attempt on his life in Jamaica in December 1976. On March 10, 1977, he and Wailers bassist Aston Barrett were stopped in Ladbroke Grove and found with cannabis. English Heritage, which has placed a blue plaque on his London home, records that he was fined at Marylebone Magistrates’ Court that spring. One account puts the fine at 50 pounds.
A year later came the album. Kaya came out on March 23, 1978, and reached No. 4 in Britain. The title is Jamaican slang for ganja, and the back cover shows a ganja plant. The title song was not new: he had first recorded it for the Lee Perry-produced album Soul Revolution Part II in 1971.
One correction that comes up often: the anthem “Legalize It” is not a Bob Marley song. It is the title track of the 1976 solo album by his former bandmate Peter Tosh, and the song was banned in Jamaica.
Marley Natural and the family business
On Nov 18, 2014, Marley’s heirs and the Seattle investment firm Privateer Holdings announced Marley Natural, which the company billed as the world’s first global cannabis brand. Products went on sale in 2016. Privateer merged into the Canadian producer Tilray in 2019, and in 2021 the family announced a partnership with Docklight Brands to bring Marley Natural to Jamaica.
The law in Jamaica had changed by then. Since April 15, 2015, possession of two ounces or less is a ticketable offense with a small fine, households may grow five plants, and Rastafarians may use cannabis for sacramental purposes.
The Tilray relationship ended badly. According to Billboard, the estate, through its company Marley Green, terminated the license in 2023 and on March 27, 2026, sued Tilray in Delaware for about $11.3 million in licensing fees it says were never paid.
In the news: two new Marley strains (June 2026)
The family’s next move was to put the name on genetics. GreenState reported on June 12, 2026, on two new Bob Marley seed strains developed by Humboldt Seed Company of California with Dr. Machel Emanuel, a botanist at the University of the West Indies in Mona, Jamaican growers and members of the Rastafari community.
- One Love is sativa-leaning: the Jamaican variety Westmorland Pineapple crossed with Mango Sherbet and Humboldt’s Stoopid Fruits.
- Redemption is indica-leaning: Lamb’s Bread crossed with Don Carlos and SFV OG.
Cedella Marley, his daughter and the head of the family’s companies, told the site the seeds came out of nearly ten years of work that began with a breeding project in Jamaica in 2017, and tied the connection to farmers in Nine Mile, the village where her father was born and is buried.
Lamb’s Bread: the strain linked to him
Ask which strain Bob Marley smoked and the answer you will hear is Lamb’s Bread, also written Lamb’s Breath, a Jamaican strain of unknown parentage. Treat it as legend. Leafly says only that it is believed to have been a favorite of his, and there is no documentation.
It is rare in New York. Lamb’s Bread was on 1 of the 32 licensed NYC dispensary menus we read on Oct 8, 2026, at a Manhattan shop, labeled 27% THC.
Bob Marley and cannabis: FAQ
Why did Bob Marley smoke cannabis?
Marley was a Rastafarian, and in Rastafari cannabis is a sacrament, usually smoked communally. He called it herb and spoke of it in religious terms.
Was Bob Marley arrested for marijuana?
Yes. He was caught with cannabis in Ladbroke Grove, London, on March 10, 1977, with bassist Aston Barrett, and was fined at Marylebone Magistrates’ Court.
What does Kaya mean?
Kaya is Jamaican slang for ganja. Bob Marley and the Wailers released the album Kaya on March 23, 1978.
Did Bob Marley write Legalize It?
No. Legalize It is the title track of a 1976 solo album by Peter Tosh, his former bandmate in the Wailers.
What was Bob Marley’s favorite strain?
Lamb’s Bread is the name usually given, but that is legend, not documented fact. In 2026 his family backed two new strains, One Love and Redemption, bred with Humboldt Seed Company.
What is Marley Natural?
Marley Natural is a cannabis brand announced in November 2014 by Bob Marley’s heirs and Privateer Holdings. The estate ended the license in 2023 and sued Tilray over unpaid fees in March 2026.
More celebrity cannabis stories
- Dave Chappelle: Half Baked, the sketches, and which of his weed quotes are real.
- Barack Obama: the Choom Gang, the Cole memo and what his administration left undone.
- Kid Cudi: from lonely stoner to rehab and cutting back.
- Willie Nelson: four arrests, the White House roof and a $15 million hemp drink.
- Bill Murray: the 1970 airport arrest on his 20th birthday, and the little he has said since.
More from Just Weed Strains
- Exotic cannabis strains: what the word means, and which of the famous names are on NYC menus.
- NYC weed strains database: every flower strain we found on 32 licensed NYC dispensary menus, with shops, menu prices and THC.
- The most popular weed strains in NYC dispensaries: the 21 most stocked names, counted menu by menu.
- Sour Diesel: the New York signature strain, and the most argued-over origin story in cannabis.
Sources
- GreenState, From Jamaica to Humboldt: two new Bob Marley strains (June 12, 2026)
- Billboard, Bob Marley estate sues over marijuana brand (March 30, 2026)
- English Heritage, Bob Marley blue plaque
- uDiscover Music, the story of Kaya
- Associated Press via NBC New York, Marley Natural announced (2014)
- Jamaica Observer, Marley Natural for Jamaica (2021)
- Jamaica Ministry of Justice, Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act fact sheet
- Wikipedia, Legalize It (Peter Tosh)
- Leafly, Lamb’s Bread
For adults 21 and over. This page reports what people have said and done on the public record; it is not medical or legal advice. Our New York cannabis guide covers the current rules in New York.
The Just Weed Strains editorial team writes our strain profiles and consumer guides. Strain profiles summarize publicly available information, including breeder and dispensary descriptions. Effects vary from person to person, and nothing on this site is medical advice.