Kenya High Court Dismisses Rastafarian Bid to Legalize Cannabis

Kenya's High Court dismissed a bid by a Rastafarian group seeking to legalize cannabis for religious purposes, The BBC reported. The Rastafarian community had argued that the existing ban on smoking cannabis infringed on rights to freedom of religion and belief protected under the constitution.

Justice Bahati Mwamuye ruled that the group failed to prove the drug laws violated those constitutional rights.

He acknowledged the need for a broader national debate on cannabis. "We ought to have frank conversations on cannabis and which directions we should take," Justice Mwamuye said. "This is not a question for the Rastafarian community only.

It is a national question that cuts across the entire spectrum of our society," he added. Advocates have pushed for regulated cultivation and trade, arguing it could create jobs, increase tax revenue, and support industrial and medicinal applications. Rastafarians maintain that smoking cannabis forms part of their religious doctrine.