Abstract
This chapter will explore the innate legal tensions present between the right to religious freedom and global prohibitionist drug policies in relation to Rastafari cannabis use. While many jurisdictions have recognized Rastafarianism as a religion, and have acknowledged the conceptual flexibility inherent within religious manifestations, the case law largely fails to reconcile the present tensions in favor of religious freedom. Yet, although the bulk of these cases have been determined in favor of upholding prohibitionist drug policies, the often-habitual majoritarian reasoning behind such decisions is perhaps less evident in some jurisdictions. Some judiciaries have recently given more weight to the religious rights of the Rastafari than others. This chapter will chart the historic progression of the extent to which Rastafarianism and its associated herbal sacrament is now recognized as a religion/religious manifestation, and is protected. It will also compare the diverse judicial reasoning of five jurisdictions confronted with this conflict, and will ultimately consider whether the courts are becoming more progressive in upholding the religious rights of the Rastafari to consume cannabis.
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Notes
- 1.
To avoid confusion the author will use the term “Rastafarianism” when referring to the religion as an entity. However, it should be acknowledged that the followers of the Rastafari religion would not approve of this terminology, as they reject any form of “ism” (Glazier 2001).
- 2.
See Genesis 1:11, 1:29, 3.18; Psalms 104:14; Proverbs 15:17; Revelation 22.2.
- 3.
See Genesis 1:11, 1:29, 3.18; Psalms 104:14; Proverbs 15:17; Revelation 22.2.
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Bone, M. (2014). From the Sacrilegious to the Sacramental: A Global Review of Rastafari Cannabis Case Law. In: Labate, B., Cavnar, C. (eds) Prohibition, Religious Freedom, and Human Rights: Regulating Traditional Drug Use. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-40957-8_5
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