A moment of laughter filled the courtroom at the Milimani Law Courts when Rastafari witness Reuben Abasa Nyangola took the stand during a High Court hearing challenging Kenya’s criminalization of cannabis. Appearing before Justice Bahati Mwamuye, Abasa introduced himself as a Rastafari spiritual practitioner, traditional medical practitioner and diviner, and proceeded to explain the religious and spiritual significance of marijuana within the Rastafari movement.
During cross-examination, the witness corrected lawyers on several aspects of the faith and explained that cannabis is used in rituals, meditation and reasoning sessions among members of the community. He told the court that the herb is consumed through a chalice for spiritual and medicinal purposes and argued that, when properly understood, it forms an important part of Rastafari practice as the court considers whether Kenya’s drug laws violate constitutional protections on freedom of religion.
