Kenya’s High Court rejects legalizing cannabis use for Rastafarians  

Kenya’s High Court has rejected a bid by a Rastafarian group seeking to legalize cannabis use for religious purposes in the nation, the BBC reports. The Rastafarian’s had argued that cannabis prohibition infringed on their freedom of religion and belief rights and therefore was unconstitutional.  

In the decision, Justice Bahati Mwamuye ruled the Rastafarian Society of Kenya failed to prove the cannabis ban violated their constitutional rights but did acknowledge the need for a broader national debate on cannabis policy.  

We should have an honest conversation about cannabis, and what direction we need to take. This question is not just for Rastafarians. It’s a nationwide question which cuts across all of our societies.”— Mwamuye, in the decision, via the BBC 

In their petition, the group contended cannabis was a sacred sacrament according to their religion and asked the court to allow members to cultivate, possess, and consume cannabis privately during worship without fear of arrest.  

State officials argued that the exemption for religious reasons would weaken Kenya’s antidrug laws, and create loopholes to illicit cannabis trafficking.  

The judge concluded that the evidence presented that cannabis was central to the Rastafari faith was inconsistent and insufficient to establish that it was central to the practice of the religion. 

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