Kenyan Rastafarians disappointed after court ruling denies cannabis use
Rastafarians in Kenya express disappointment and a determination to appeal, after a court refused to grant them the right to smoke weed on religious grounds on Wednesday The community had been pushing Kenyan courts since 2021 to allow them to use the herb under the constitutional right to freedom of religion.
Despite ruling against the community, the judge said the widespread recreational use of cannabis in Kenya suggested the current law was too harsh.
But the High Court ruled the community had failed to show that marijuana was a necessary part of their practice, and so did not give them the right to bypass the country's drug laws, under which possession is punishable by up to 10 years' imprisonment and a substantial fine.
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