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From marijuana.com
US Calls Out Discrimination Against Religious Marijuana Use In Other Countries
By Tom Angell on August 22nd
The United States federal government considers marijuana use illegal for any purpose.
But that didnt stop the U.S. Department of State from going out of its way to point out how other countries around the world discriminate against people who use cannabis to aid their religious and spiritual practices.
Among the nearly 200 country-by-country briefs in the International Religious Freedom Report for 2015 released this month, the State Department catalogues how Rastafarians in particular face hardships due to the fact that many governments still criminalize an act that is core to the practice of their religion: Smoking marijuana.
In The Bahamas, for example, the report says Rastafarians reported incidences of police profiling because of their religious belief in using marijuana. They complained that after being arrested, prison officials cut the dreadlocks of Rastafarian detainees held in short-term custody, and that prisoners at Bahamas Correctional Services were not regularly provided with meals that met their religious dietary requirements.
In Barbados, Rastafarians reported extra scrutiny from police and immigration officials and complained that the government required them to remove head coverings in identification photos and at security checkpoints.
In Sierra Leone, Rastafarians say police regularly harassed and physically abused them for using cannabis and the government continued to refuse to recognize Rastafarian title to land the community used to construct and operate its temples. The report details what happened to Francis Heffner, a Rastafarian who was reportedly beaten by police after they caught him consuming cannabis: After release from police custody, Heffner died at a Freetown hospital, the State Department notes. As of November, authorities had arrested and charged eight officers with manslaughter. On November 17, the Magistrate Court found one of the officers not guilty for lack of evidence, and referred the cases of the other seven to the High Court for a hearing date to be determined. They were granted bail in December.
And Rastafarians still face discrimination in Jamaica, even after the government passed a law that specifically allows the to use marijuana for sacramental purposes in locations designated as places of worship. While Rastafarians say that acceptance of their views and practices have improved markedly, the report notes that in rare cases [police]continued to profile and stop and search for possession of marijuana over the decriminalized limit and that cases of discrimination against those seeking employment and professional advancement continued to occur.
The report says that in Saint Kitts and Nevis and Saint Vincent and The Grenadines, U.S. embassy personnel met with government officials to specifically discuss Rastafarians complaints of religious discrimination against their use of marijuana, though it is unclear what the results of those discussions were.
The State Department also noted anti-marijuana discrimination against Rastafarians in Antigua and Barbuda,Dominica and Saint Lucia.
Last years version of the State Departments religious freedom report similarly spotlighted discrimination against people who use marijuana.
But while the U.S. government continues to compile so much information about the undue burdens that people who use marijuana for religious purposes face around the world, the reports contain no mention of the fact that the laws of the U.S. federal government and many states still criminalize cannabis across the board, without regard to spiritual use.
As just one example, a marijuana activist going by the name NJ Weedman is currently facing drug charges stemming from a police raid of an establishment he calls a cannabis temple. The Rastafarian says hell sue over the matter.
But in numerous cases over decades, state and federal courts in the U.S. have repeatedly rejected arguments that marijuana use can be a legitimate religious activity that shouldnt be criminalized.
http://www.marijuana.com/blog/news/...t-religious-marijuana-use-in-other-countries/
US Calls Out Discrimination Against Religious Marijuana Use In Other Countries
By Tom Angell on August 22nd
The United States federal government considers marijuana use illegal for any purpose.
But that didnt stop the U.S. Department of State from going out of its way to point out how other countries around the world discriminate against people who use cannabis to aid their religious and spiritual practices.
Among the nearly 200 country-by-country briefs in the International Religious Freedom Report for 2015 released this month, the State Department catalogues how Rastafarians in particular face hardships due to the fact that many governments still criminalize an act that is core to the practice of their religion: Smoking marijuana.
In The Bahamas, for example, the report says Rastafarians reported incidences of police profiling because of their religious belief in using marijuana. They complained that after being arrested, prison officials cut the dreadlocks of Rastafarian detainees held in short-term custody, and that prisoners at Bahamas Correctional Services were not regularly provided with meals that met their religious dietary requirements.
In Barbados, Rastafarians reported extra scrutiny from police and immigration officials and complained that the government required them to remove head coverings in identification photos and at security checkpoints.
In Sierra Leone, Rastafarians say police regularly harassed and physically abused them for using cannabis and the government continued to refuse to recognize Rastafarian title to land the community used to construct and operate its temples. The report details what happened to Francis Heffner, a Rastafarian who was reportedly beaten by police after they caught him consuming cannabis: After release from police custody, Heffner died at a Freetown hospital, the State Department notes. As of November, authorities had arrested and charged eight officers with manslaughter. On November 17, the Magistrate Court found one of the officers not guilty for lack of evidence, and referred the cases of the other seven to the High Court for a hearing date to be determined. They were granted bail in December.
And Rastafarians still face discrimination in Jamaica, even after the government passed a law that specifically allows the to use marijuana for sacramental purposes in locations designated as places of worship. While Rastafarians say that acceptance of their views and practices have improved markedly, the report notes that in rare cases [police]continued to profile and stop and search for possession of marijuana over the decriminalized limit and that cases of discrimination against those seeking employment and professional advancement continued to occur.
The report says that in Saint Kitts and Nevis and Saint Vincent and The Grenadines, U.S. embassy personnel met with government officials to specifically discuss Rastafarians complaints of religious discrimination against their use of marijuana, though it is unclear what the results of those discussions were.
The State Department also noted anti-marijuana discrimination against Rastafarians in Antigua and Barbuda,Dominica and Saint Lucia.
Last years version of the State Departments religious freedom report similarly spotlighted discrimination against people who use marijuana.
But while the U.S. government continues to compile so much information about the undue burdens that people who use marijuana for religious purposes face around the world, the reports contain no mention of the fact that the laws of the U.S. federal government and many states still criminalize cannabis across the board, without regard to spiritual use.
As just one example, a marijuana activist going by the name NJ Weedman is currently facing drug charges stemming from a police raid of an establishment he calls a cannabis temple. The Rastafarian says hell sue over the matter.
But in numerous cases over decades, state and federal courts in the U.S. have repeatedly rejected arguments that marijuana use can be a legitimate religious activity that shouldnt be criminalized.
http://www.marijuana.com/blog/news/...t-religious-marijuana-use-in-other-countries/
