Kenya now seeks to legalize marijuana. Photo: Jamhuri-news.comThe man behind the petition of legalising Cannabis Sativa popularly known as Bhang faces is set to face The Senate Health Committee to give answers to why he proposes making the weed legal.
"I am ready to defend my research. I have a wealth of evidence on this subject," Gwada Ogot, a researcher, writer, and political analyst, said on Thursday.
"I pray that the House recommends amnesty for all people jailed for possession, usage, sale, cultivation and transportation of Cannabis Sativa. Criminalising Cannabis creates criminals where none existed," he said.
Ogot claims that if Cannabis Sativa is legalised, it will be a cash crop which will definitely contribute to the country's revenue and improve living standards.
"Research has indicated that bhang can be used for medicinal purposes to cure diseases. It is disease resistant and can be replanted several times a year without the use of pesticides," Ogot said.
Mr Ogot insists that a Cannabis regulatory body which he calls Cannabis Sativa Board of Kenya should be created to monitor the planting, trading, and consumption of the drug.
If at all Mr Ogots' proposal goes through, then bhang will be deleted from the list of narcotic drugs in the Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances Act of 1994.