Kenya Court Rejects Bid to Allow Cannabis Use for Rastafarian Worship
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Nairobi: Kenya's High Court has rejected a bid by the Rastafari Society of Kenya to allow the use of cannabis for religious purposes, ruling that the country's drug laws do not violate constitutional rights to freedom of religion.
The court said the Rastafarian group had failed to prove that cannabis use was an essential part of the faith or that the ban infringed on religious freedoms. Justice Bahati Mwamuye, however, said the issue of cannabis legalisation deserved a wider national debate.
The Rastafari Society had sought a limited exemption to allow its followers to grow, possess and use cannabis privately during worship, arguing it was a sacred sacrament. The government opposed the request, saying such an exemption could weaken enforcement of anti-drug laws and create opportunities for illegal trafficking.
The ruling ends the group's six-year legal challenge, although its lawyer said the decision would be appealed. Cannabis remains illegal in Kenya, with penalties ranging from fines to lengthy prison terms for possession, cultivation and trafficking.
Pic Credit: AFP
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