The
Rastafarian Movement in Sierra Leone yesterday presented a position
paper to the Constitutional Review Committee (CRC), urging the 80-man
body chaired by retired Justice Edmond Cowan to decriminalize the use of
marijuana in the country.
Popular broadcaster
and a member of the movement, Theophilous Sahr Gbenda, who acted as
their spokesman during the presentation, said part of their position
paper includes the inclusion of their religious persuasion as one of the
official religions in the Country and the decriminalisation of
marijuana because of its economic benefit to the government and people
of Sierra Leone.
He said their
members had given due consideration to, and brainstormed on the two
issues before they reached a conclusion that it was erroneous and
deliberate on the part of the state to have listed marijuana among
harmful drugs like cocaine and heroin .
Though a secular
country, Sierra Leone only recognises Christianity and Islam as the
official religions, with Muslims accounting for approximately sixty
percent of the population.
However, an
insignificant minority observes the Rastafarian Movement which draws
inspiration from the former Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie, and the
late Jamaican singer Bob Marley.
Marijuana is among
the banned substances in the country, although it is popular with many
youths and the small Rastafarian community.
Gbenda, who wears a
dreadlocks, told the CRC that the Sierra Leone Rastafarian Movement is a
socio-religious movement that was established in 1989 with a broad
objective of ensuring positive transformation of the mindset of
ill-influenced youth and to spread the teachings of the Holy Bible as
well as values and morals of 'His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Hail
Silassie'.
He said
Rastafarians around the world share a personal relationship with
marijuana and have been very concerned about its categorisation as a
banned drug, and its misuse.
"We have a special
sentimental attachment to marijuana in our spiritual worship; we
consider marijuana as the Holy Sacrament, just in the same way as
Christians consider the Holy Communion as the body of Christ in their
belief and worship.
"The constitution
of the land makes it very clear that no one shall be discriminated
because of his or beliefs. Condemnations of marijuana are based mainly
on ignorance and disrespect for Jah's creation. For these reasons and
others, we are calling on the reviewers of the present constitution of
the land to look at marijuana from a broader perspective and ignorance
creating the myths around it," noted the broadcaster.
He added that:
"Often and again marijuana is associated with crime and violence; this
is not generally the case as evidence by the fact that those people who
after smoking marijuana run into violence are most likely to have mixed
it up with actual drugs like cocaine, brown-brown [heroin] and others."
He claimed that
marijuana could be used for medical purpose, adding "medical marijuana
refers to the use of cannabis as a physician's recommended herbal
therapy as well as synthetic" and that they wanted the laws of Sierra
Leone to guarantee the judicious use of marijuana.
CRC chairman
Justice Edmond Cowan thanked members of the Movement for presenting
their position paper to the committee, adding that their mandate was not
tasked to rewrite the constitution but to review it, which involves
collecting information from the people which could be included in the
new constitution.
He recalled that
when President Ernest Bai Koroma was launching the review process, he
had called on members of the committee to ensure the process was people
friendly, adding that the 1991 constitution made provision for religious
associations and that he is not aware of any ban on the Rastafarian
Movement in the country.
"I want to assure
you that your document will be seriously looked into, but I want you as
well to understand that after the first exercise, this document will be
taken again to the people for referendum for the people to decide what
should be in the new constitution," he concluded.
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