Namibian rasta movement pushing for marijuana legalisation

KATUTURA, OCT. 6 – Ganja users of Namibia (GUN) met last weekend at Youth Hostel in Windhoek to elect a new leadership of Rasta Continental Council, while the decision to legalise the private use of marijuana in Namibia following South Africa’s landmark decision to legalise it in that country, was prominently featuring among GUN’s agenda.

BBC World reported that South Africa’s Constitutional Court gave a landmark ruling where judges unanimously legalised the growing of marijuana for private consumption.

South Africa’s government had opposed its (marijuana) legalisation, arguing the ‘drug’ was “harmful” to people’s health.

South African Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo was quoted as saying: “It will not be a criminal offence for an adult person to use or be in possession of cannabis in private for his or her personal consumption.”

Chairperson of GUN, Brian Jafta’s told NamibiaDailyNews that the legalisation of marijuana was a welcome development, but he questioned loopholes that existed, particularly the distinction between smoking (marijuana) publicly, and smoking cigarettes publicly.

This reporter asked him why his group is pushing for the legalisation of marijuana “(sic) since the popular belief is that it [marijuana] is harmful,”  to which he replied: “Sugar kills more people and marijuana doesn’t kill people.”

B.Jah, as he is passionately recognised within his community, added: “We must not reason like politicians who aim at looking for votes only during elections. We must rather take it from a medical doctor’s (perspective). Marijuana is globally known to have medicinal characteristics, (but) we are not saying that we are going to sell it to young people when it is legalized.”

He said it was necessary to use all avenues to make sure that marijuana was also legalized in Namibia.

“Our first move is to organise a march here in Windhoek to sensitize everyone that we (the Rasta movement is serious) in Namibia.”

B. Jah, said his group was of the belief that it was necessary “to take the Namibian government to court for using outdated colonial rules which prohibit the use of marijuana.”

It remains to be seen if the Namibian government will entertain the comments made by the organisation.

The meeting that B.Jah chaired ended on Sunday and boasted a widespread number of delegates that came from – among others-  Rasta’s from America, Jamaica and South Africa. – musa@namibiadailynews.info