00:02A court in Kenya ruled on Wednesday that Rastafarians would not be granted the use of cannabis on religious grounds.
00:10The ruling comes as Rastafarians in Kenya have waited for years on a decision on their use of marijuana under
00:16the constitutional right to religious freedom.
00:20Rastafarians essentially use marijuana as part of religious meditation.
00:27In Kenya, the possession of cannabis is punishable by a 10-year prison term and a substantial fine.
00:35Despite the law, the recreational use of cannabis is widespread in the country.
00:41This did prompt the judge who delivered the ruling to acknowledge that current law may be too harsh and that
00:47frank conversations about the subject were needed.
00:51Nevertheless, the judge maintained that Rastafarians had failed to show why current law impinged on their religious freedoms and rejected
00:58the petition in its entirety.
01:00Thank you very much.
01:01Thank you very much.
01:02Thank you very much.
01:03Thank you very much.
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