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 ought to have frank conversations on cannabis and which directions we should take. This is not a question for the Rastafarian community only. It is a national question that cuts across the entire spectrum of our society.”— 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.
The state argued that allowing the religious exemption would undermine Kenya’s anti-drug laws and could create loopholes for 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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