Rastafarians and Their Use of Marijuana

The Rastafarian religion and Rastafarian Church are of widespread speculation that the use of marijuana for religious purposes is a law abiding act and sits within the constitution of the Rastafarians practicing their freedom of religion. There is one belief that almost all Rastas hold to; the sacramental use of Cannabis Sativa: in other words, the smoking or ingesting of marijuana for spiritual reasons to become high, and in turn closer to God and open to his revelation through deep meditation. In spite of its many titles such as Ganja, Collie, Sensi, Wisdom weed and many others, for most Rastafarians it serves one purpose, it is a source of unification by which all may join in perfect fellowship together with each other and Jah (God) to reason with the most high. I strongly believe that marijuana is one of the pillars of the Rastafarian faith by which it stands. As David Hinds from Steel Pulse sings “What keeps us together is the herb that we smoke”. The use of marijuana is professed and portrayed in the Reggae music being aired around the world and also in their photos and albums which depicts the use and symbolizes Rastafarian faith and marijuana in religion. In Reggae, musicians are often the only preachers and teachers of the Rastafarian religion to the open public. Today Rastafarian's most popular symbol is the late Bob Marley who strongly and open portrayed the use of marijuana in his music videos and posters who is seen as an icon an role model to millions across the world both Rastafarians and non believers in the Rastafarian faith. (Ministries) Reggae has its appeal to young people who are found in the drug culture. It offers religious justification for smoking the weed. A commune was founded in the early 1940's by Leonard Howell, who was one of the leaders of the Rastafarian movement. Howell had openly acknowledged Emperor Haile Selassie I as the Supreme Being and the black people's ruler. In 1940 he established the "Ethiopian Salvation Society," recruiting a sizeable following, and established a commune named Pinnacle in the hills overlooking the city of Kingston. This gave them the freedom to adopt smoking ganja as a religious ritual. The movement didn’t last long as the police acted upon and shut it down in 1941. With the Rastafarian movement smoking marijuana took on new significance. It symbolized a protest against the oppression from Government, which had made its use illegal. (Janet E. Joy)All of the currently available analgesic (pain-relieving) drugs have limited efficacy for some types of pain. Some are limited by dose-related side effects and some by the development of tolerance or dependence. A cannabinoid, or other analgesic, could potentially be useful under any of the following circumstances: · There is a medical condition for which it is more effective than any currently available medication. · It has a broad clinical spectrum of efficacy and a unique side effect profile. · It has synergistic interactions with other analgesics. · It exhibits "side effects" that are considered useful in some clinical situations.

(Drug Policy Alliance) Medical marijuana is one of the most widely supported issues in drug policy reform. Numerous published studies suggest that marijuana has medical value in treating patients with serious illnesses such as AIDS, glaucoma, cancer, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and chronic pain. As where there are laws regarding the use of marijuana and medicine restricting its use for medicinal purposes only laws and constitutions should be developed similarly so that Rastafarians can only use the drug within the religious Churches and shrines which are of the Rastafarian movement and religion during pray and meditation. The development of a law which prohibits them from practicing their religion with the use of marijuana outside or away from their Churches which in every right would not infringe the religious rights of the Rastafarian community. (Levine) Rastas say its use is prescribed by biblical verses such as Psalm 104:14, where it is written "He causeth the grass for the cattle, and herb for the service of man"; Exodus 10:12: "Eat every herb of the land"; Proverbs 15:17: "Better is a dinner of herb where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith"; and Genesis 1:11-12 or 3:18: "thou shalt eat the herb of the field." The controlled ritual smoking of "wisdomweed" is advocated as incense pleasing to the Lord"; it is a core activity in their daily life, both a "sacrament" and an aid to meditation. It is common knowledge that Rastafarians use marijuana as a holy sacrament but in light of these scriptures and context of the whole Bible, one must come to the understanding that the use of marijuana is not a sacrament, as to where there are no scriptures in the bible in which God commands man to smoke marijuana. Works Cited
Drug Policy Alliance. Drug policy Alliance. 2005. <http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/medical/>.
Janet E. Joy, Stanley J. Watson, Jr., and John A. Benson, Jr. Marijuana and Medicine. Washington, D.C.: NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS , 1999.
Levine, Mark. Beliefnet. 2000. <http://www.beliefnet.com/Entertainment/2000/08/Holy-Smoke.aspx?p=1>.
Ministries, Let Us Reason. Let Us Reason Ministries. 2009. <http://www.letusreason.org/cults16.htm>.

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[ 1 ]. http://www.letusreason.org/cults16.htm (2009)
[ 2 ]. Janet E. Joy, Stanley J. Watson, Jr. Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base (Washington D.C. :NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS, 1999) : 140
[ 3 ]. Drug Policy Alliance, Medical marijuana http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/medical/ (2005)
[ 4 ]. Levine, Mark. Beliefnet http://www.beliefnet.com/Entertainment/2000/08/Holy-Smoke.aspx?p=1/ (2000)