Former Nyamira senator Kennedy Okong’o has started a fresh push for the legalization of Marijuana.
In his statement for the new year, the ex-lawmaker asked the government to consider the legal status of the illegal herb and drug.
“We must as a country embrace the benefits of decriminalising bhang and treat it as one of our God-bestowed natural resources and tap for it,” Okong’o said.
“We must as a matter of urgency, legalise this crop to contribute to economic growth as it will contribute to the diversification of the economy and boost the country’s exports, especially at this time when the fortunes of tea, coffee, tourism, and other sectors have been dampened by the global economic dynamics and the vile Coronavirus pandemic,” he added.
The call by the ex senator is likely to stir up a serious debate as marijuana remains an illegal item in Kenya
Early December last year, the United Nation on Narcotic Drugs (UNCND) had removed marijuana from its list of most dangerous drugs.
The vote to remove the marijuana from the list came in after the WHO had launched a recommendation more than two years ago to have the substance removed from its previous classification in argument, “the inclusion of cannabis and cannabis resin in Schedule IV is not consistent with the criteria for a drug to be placed in Schedule IV.”
However, Nacada CEO Victor Okioma affirmed that the herb and its resin are still listed as highly addictive substances, among other defects.
“The vote to delete cannabis plant and cannabis resin from most dangerous substances is not an endorsement of recreational use of cannabis or a recognition that Cannabis is less harmful. It only means that cannabis plant and resin have moved from a stricter schedule,” Okioma said.
