Kenya denies Rastafarians the right to smoke weed
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July 15, 2026
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NAIROBI, Kenya (AFP)—A Kenyan court refused to grant Rastafarians the right to smoke weed on religious grounds in a long-awaited ruling on Wednesday, which some members of the community saw as an attack on “African spirituality”.
Rastafarians, who often use marijuana as part of their religious meditation, have been pushing Kenyan courts since 2021 to allow them to use the herb under the constitutional right to freedom of religion.
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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