Some members of the local Rastafarian community are calling for the legalization of marijuana for personal use whether for religious purposes or otherwise.

This follows the Agriculture minister’s announcement yesterday that government will help to fund a start-up project to give a cooperative of local Rastafarians a stake in the proposed medical marijuana industry.

Young elder in the Rastafarian community, Ras Simba Icoma, complains that while medicinal marijuana production is being made a legal industry, use of the herb is still criminalized.

He disagrees with constraints placed on the use for religious purposes and is challenging the matter in court.

Young elder in the Rastafarian community, Ras Simba