Can We Talk about Ganja for a Second?

Food News from Indonesia | On recent ganja control actions happening across Aceh.

Aug 12, 2024

Welcome to Kepayang’s first-ever edition of Food News from Indonesia, where I’ll sum up what’s been happening with our food scene in the last six months — with a generous amount of my opinion. This first edition is a three-parter, which means you will have a new story every week throughout August. That’s right, it’s the Independence Month spirit or whatever. 🇮🇩

To remind you, Indonesia is a huge country with thousands of islands and unfortunately, a skewed focus on Jawa. So, to keep things fair, I'll be highlighting food news from underrepresented regions. In this first part, I’ll cover a story from Indonesia’s westernmost province, Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, particularly on its recent ganja control actions. Happy reading!

Disclaimer: My name is Fabi, and I’m not a journalist – though I wish I were. I’m just a writer with a passion for food, some self-taught research skills (mostly from trips to the pasar and supermarket), and a desktop research hobby. The information below comes from news sources I personally trust, and all opinions are entirely my own. Well, Kepayang is my personal newsletter, so you get the idea. Please take everything with a grain of salt, do your own research, and feel free to let me know if I’ve made a mistake.

Ganja, otherwise known as cannabis has been growing and thriving in Aceh for hundreds of years. An Acehnese cultural scholar, Cak Midi, said that the use of ganja has even been written in ancient manuscripts during the Aceh Sultanate era, dating back to the 10th century, mainly for medical purposes to help aid diabetes. Today, ganja is being used in many parts of Aceh for culinary purposes, particularly the seeds as they act as a flavour enhancer (something similar to MSG), and the leaves as they have this tenderising property, perfect for beef and also gamier proteins such as goat and lamb.

I have tried them during my visit to Banda Aceh in 2019. It was in the form of Mie Aceh, a popular soup / fried noodles with various toppings from beef, to chicken, to seafood. And for me, it was indeed one of the most savoury, and flavourful Mie Aceh that I have ever tasted. But to be frank, I don’t quite like the aftertaste. It’s what I call ‘anyep’, which loosely refers to an off or stale taste that you get from an ingredient that has been sitting in your pantry for a while. I might just be unlucky and get the batch that has a cardboardy aftertaste. But I wouldn’t know since I only had it once.

People also say that ganja seeds have a notorious relaxing effect. But considering that I had a long day and just ate a plate full of carbs for dinner, I don’t think it’s the ganja that made me sleep well that night.

*That* Mie Aceh I had in Banda Aceh (2019)

While ganja is an important part of Aceh culture, in 1976, the Indonesian government decided to be different. They were like “Actually, no, we don’t like it”. So they passed a law to regulate the use and distribution of many substances including ganja (UU No.9 Tahun 1976). This law then laid the groundwork for stricter drug regulations in the following years. And since then, growing and possessing ganja became prohibited, unless you’re an appointed education or research institution.

Kepayang is free for now, so any engagements mean so much to support the platform’s growth. You can subscribe to get the newsletter sent directly to your email, like, comment, and share if you resonate with what I write.

Alternatively, you can buy me a coffee through my PayPal here: https://paypal.me/chalafabia - or if you’re based in Indonesia, you can send your donation through QRIS here (under the name Tamanan). Any amounts are welcomed and will directly contribute to sustaining this platform to cover expenses related to operations, research, writing, and marketing. ☕️

The Indonesian government has made several efforts to eliminate unlicensed ganja production and illegal distribution, including, to my surprise, burning down acres and acres of ganja fields. And hold that giggles, because no, inhaling the smoke from freshly burned ganja fields won’t get you stoned.

Through my desktop research, I found that a total of more than 20 hectares of ganja fields have been burned down, just in the first half of 2024 in the Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam province alone. They burned 2 hectares in Aceh Utara (January 2024), 4 hectares in Aceh Besar (March 2024), 12 hectares in Bireuen (May 2024), and 2.5 hectares in Aceh Besar, again (June 2024).

Maps showing areas with burned ganja fields across Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam.

Share Kepayang

And if that’s not enough, the Badan Narkotika Nasional (National Narcotics Agency) is also planning random checks at restaurants across Aceh to detect any traces of ganja in food. They believe Aceh has a high rate of drug misuse, and they want to ensure a clean, and drug-free Aceh during the 21st Pekan Olahraga Nasional (National Sports Week), which Aceh will host this September.

I think this move is hella weird and has made a lot of people uncomfortable. While I understand that the intention is to clear up the stigma around drug misuse, some restaurant owners worry that these random checks could backfire, especially if they’re conducted without any prior data or notice — it feels like a false accusation. Plus, I personally think that the use of ganja for culinary purposes is not a misuse. I think we really need to distinguish the purpose here. If it is simply a means to make our food taste nicer, then what’s the harm?

My intention in writing this isn’t to ask for the ban on ganja to be lifted, especially since I don’t have enough knowledge to argue for it. But with the massive field burnings and interrogations, I can only imagine how uncomfortable the situation must be. It’s a relief to hear that many chefs, cultural scholars, and local culinary activists are coming together to educate people and raise awareness about the history of ganja and its proper use in cooking. I hope this opens up more conversations about ganja in the coming years.

If you have any opinions, please let me know! And I’ll see you next week with a story from Sulawesi Utara and Nusa Tenggara Timur.

Can We Talk about Ganja for a Second?

Food News from Indonesia | On recent ganja control actions happening across Aceh.

Discussion about this post