Sierra Leone Entertainment: The Use of Marijuana as Rastafari Sacrament

Theophilus Gbenda

What comes to mind when you see or hear the word “Rastafari”? Jamaica? Dreadlocks? Bob Marley?

However, the chances are one of the first things that comes to mind is marijuana. Marijuana -or ganja as it is called by Rastas is culturally entrenched with the Rastafari movement since it began in the 1930s.Spokesman of Rastafari Movement in Sierra Leone, Theophilus Gbenda says the Ganja is considered sacred. Like Christians use wafer, “we use the ganja as sacrament,” he says. 

Rastas often refer to the ganja as the wisdom weed or holy herb.The ‘Healing Herb’ of the NationsSo how did ganja come to play such an important role within the Rastafari religion? Rastas believe that the Tree of Life mentioned in the Bible is the marijuana plant and that several other biblical passages further promote its use, such as “Thou shalt eat the herb of the field” (Genesis 3:18), “Eat every herb of the land” (Exodus 10:12) and “The herb is the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:2).

There’s more to Rastafari marijuana use than you may thinkFormer member of 12 tribes of Israel in Sierra Leone, Zebulon explained that despite what many think, Rastas actually condemn the use of marijuana simply to get high. Instead, it is usually used within religious ceremonies in a highly ritualized manner in order to enhance feelings of unity and help generate visions of a spiritual and soothing nature. Rastafari “reasoning sessions” are religious meetings that involve group meditation, and marijuana is used to help the follower go into a trance-like state.

The marijuana is usually smoked in a pipe (or “chalice”) and a short prayer is always recited before it is smoked:“Glory be to the father and to the maker of creation. As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be World without end. Selah!”Reasoning sessions are very important religious rituals for Rastas – it’s a time for them to come together to debate living according to the Rastafari outlook.

The effects of smoking ganja allow the user to reach a sort of “cosmic consciousness,” a state where they become closer to “Jah” (God) and can see the truth of the world more clearly.Religious Freedom vs Drug Smuggling CorporationsOne of the most common misconceptions about the Rastafari religion is that it centers on getting high, the insinuation among some people being that it’s just an excuse to smoke a lot of marijuna. These negative outlooks have been very damaging for Rastafarians, and many have even been forced to defend their religion.

Rastafari believe that marijuana laws are an affront to God as well as an obstruction to their religious freedom, and the fact that marijuana is illegal has meant the Rastafari religion has become unfairly tainted as a result.“Their argument is that ganja is a natural, not a man-made, substance, given by God to be used by mankind as mankind sees fit, the same way that He provides other herbs and bushes…As a natural substance, ganja does not even have to be cultivated. Spread by birds and other vectors, it grows wild.

It therefore cannot be eradicated. God created other herbs but none of these is subject to the prohibition imposed by the law.”However, part of the Rasta belief system is the idea that it is wrong to worship money-orientated institutions; their word for this existing establishment is “Babylon.”

In their eyes, the ban on God-given plants is just another sign of the immoral nature of Babylon and a way to exercise an authority that no one has the right to possess.In this sense, the bold resistance by many Rastafari to laws and establishment is not just civil defiance but more of a reflection of their religious beliefs.

A Self-Destructive Pleasure?While a generic stereotype of Rastafari is that they just sit around smoking ganja and not doing much else, marijuana is known for its demotivating effects – so how much truth is there in this? Rastas would say not much: they believe that ganja alters a user’s consciousness, ideals and objectives but only insofar as it removes the urge to pursue a Babylonian view of success. Instead, marijuana allows them to see past the world of material possessions and self-destructive pleasures.But what of these self-destructive pleasures? Could smoking marijuana not be classified fairly accurately as a self-destructive pleasure as well? Aside from the damaging physical effects smoking marijuana has on the body, it is also linked to increased risk of mental health problems such as depression and anxiety, and can affect brain chemistry so gravely that it’s believed to trigger schizophrenia. Sierra Leone psychiatrist, Dr Nahim says that the dangers of marijuana are hugely underestimated. “The idea that marijuana is harmless is both prevalent and unfortunate.”

While the individual use of marijuana may come down to personal opinion, it’s evident that the pervasive stereotype of stoner Rastafarians is both an unwelcome, and unwarranted, misconception.