RAS Simba to appeal High Court ruling on sacramental cannabis

​Rastafarian advocate Paul Ras Simba Rock has confirmed plans to appeal a recent High Court decision that dismissed his constitutional challenge to Barbados’ cannabis laws, describing the legal grounds for the judgment as “very flimsy”.

​Justice Michelle Weekes ruled in the No. 8 Supreme Court that the Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act and the Sacramental Cannabis Act (SCA) are constitutional and justified on grounds of public health, safety and order. The ruling says that limiting legal sacramental cannabis use to registered tabernacles or places of worship does not violate constitutional rights to religious freedom, privacy, or protection from discrimination.

​Ras Simba, represented by attorney Lalu Hanuman, argued that restricting sacramental use to official places of worship infringes on personal liberty and freedom of worship.