Former Taita Taveta Woman Representative Joyce Lay has thrown her weight behind the legalisation of the use of marijuana in the country.
Lay said marijuana was God-given and asked the government to provide attractive incentives to pharmaceutical firms so that they can invest in Kenya and produce the substance in large scale as part of a plan to deal with cancer menace.
"I believe that everything God gave us has a purpose. If marijuana is being used on cancer patients then let’s allow pharmaceutical companies to come and invest here. Remove all unnecessary bottlenecks and give them free land," she said.
In a series of tweets on Saturday, the former legislator pushed for the passing of Marijuana Control Bill 2018, which was drafted by the late Kibra MP Ken Okoth.
She also called for more research on the illegal drug to end various myths associated with it.
"The late Ken Okoth (RIP) brought a bill in Parliament to legalize weed (marijuana) can we please have a proper public participation to understand it and also to sponsor our researchers to go out and learn more," the former Woman Rep urged.
Lay further asked the Interior Ministry, which is led by Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang'i, to explain where anti-narcotics police take tons of bhang which they nab in various operations across the country.
"Actually where do they take all the bhang (weed) that they arrest in Kenya? Is someone doing business with it? I think I have only seen drugs being destroyed like once or twice. Other countries have legalized it...why can’t we be advised on how to export it?" she posed.
The calls to decriminalize marijuana has been intensifying and has already got backing of the current crop of leaders who include Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko, Woman Representative Esther Passaris, Embakasi East MP Babu Owino among others.