Genesis 1:11 "And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so."
The tradition of marijuana usage as a sacrament is rooted in African culture, Biblical verse, and the ceremonial rites of Rastafari people. Several books within the Bible are accredited by scholars as encouraging its use; translated "qaneh bosm" into Hebrew and Near Eastern languages- Genesis 3:18 "thou shall eat the herb of the field" being one. "Grounation" and "Reasonings" ceremonies facilitate its use respectively towards discussing social/ ethical issues as well as regarding more festive activities involving song and dance. Its use as a meditative aide was culturally diffused into the Caribbean during the 20th Century by way of the Sadhu's (holy) of India who adorned dreadlocks- a tradition upheld for centuries; in fact, the denotation of Sadhu is the same nomenclature used to describe the spiritual path of Gautauma Buddha who cut his locks in renunciation of royal life.
Marijuana, also known as (Black Indian Hemp) has a political history in the U.S. similar to other herbs used by indigenous peoples. While the early to mid 70's demonstrated a liberal approach that encouraged "noncriminal discouragement" toward marijuana use, this policy was generally abandoned by the late 70's due to a letter entitled "Mad Housewife" to the then Drug Czar Dr. Robert Dupont in 1976. An advocate of decriminalization, his point of view was admittedly abandoned citing the perception of his being a pro- pot drug czar as opposed to being pro- decriminalization. It was believed in the scientific community that marijuana was a low priority concern consistent with the findings in the White Paper during the Ford administration.
The Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 was designed to restore religious freedom under the 1st and 14th amendments of the Constitution. Its 1997 repeal by the Supreme Court gave statutory law precedent over the congressional act aimed at protecting what was believed to be the Constitutional right of its citizens. Its enactment was inspired by a 1990 court case where Native Americans lost unemployment eligibility benefits when found to have been using peyote as a religious sacrament, a violation of Oregon state law. The irony of repealing the act cited violation of the First Amendment's stipulation regarding seperation of church and state; as a religious group would gain statutory privilege, resulting in the law being declared unconstitutional. In addition to this the court decided it couldn't account for "socially harmful conduct" in favor of state law by those who use herbs as sacrament; in this case peyote. The Religious Freedom Restoration Act was the result of a coalition of several religious organizations whose laws are now observed by a select number of states.
On February 27, 1998 devout Rastafarian George Singleton was pulled over by an Oklahoma Police Trooper and arrested for DUI. Depending on the account one reads he was suspected of either weaving in and out of lanes or driving with an expired license tag. Singleton was thought to be under the influence of marijuana based on the presence of mulein and rosemary, a medicinal herb used to treat tuberculosis. Though no intoxicants were found in his blood he spent 25 days in jail and was threatened to be charged with possessing an imitation illicit substance. Singleton, like many Rastafarians, has maintained his close relationship with nature through stewardship, herbology, and gardnering. He is the Director of a nonprofit organization who has been a member of the Indianapolis community for 10 years. Singleton's account of profiling is not unique to Rastafarians however the frequency of such harrassment is exacerbated by law.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Examiner.com
Author: Ivan England
Contact: Examiner.com
Copyright: 2010 Clarity Digital Group LLC d/b/a Examiner.com
Website: The law of Jah and marijuana
* Thanks to MedicalNeed for submitting this article
The tradition of marijuana usage as a sacrament is rooted in African culture, Biblical verse, and the ceremonial rites of Rastafari people. Several books within the Bible are accredited by scholars as encouraging its use; translated "qaneh bosm" into Hebrew and Near Eastern languages- Genesis 3:18 "thou shall eat the herb of the field" being one. "Grounation" and "Reasonings" ceremonies facilitate its use respectively towards discussing social/ ethical issues as well as regarding more festive activities involving song and dance. Its use as a meditative aide was culturally diffused into the Caribbean during the 20th Century by way of the Sadhu's (holy) of India who adorned dreadlocks- a tradition upheld for centuries; in fact, the denotation of Sadhu is the same nomenclature used to describe the spiritual path of Gautauma Buddha who cut his locks in renunciation of royal life.
Marijuana, also known as (Black Indian Hemp) has a political history in the U.S. similar to other herbs used by indigenous peoples. While the early to mid 70's demonstrated a liberal approach that encouraged "noncriminal discouragement" toward marijuana use, this policy was generally abandoned by the late 70's due to a letter entitled "Mad Housewife" to the then Drug Czar Dr. Robert Dupont in 1976. An advocate of decriminalization, his point of view was admittedly abandoned citing the perception of his being a pro- pot drug czar as opposed to being pro- decriminalization. It was believed in the scientific community that marijuana was a low priority concern consistent with the findings in the White Paper during the Ford administration.
The Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 was designed to restore religious freedom under the 1st and 14th amendments of the Constitution. Its 1997 repeal by the Supreme Court gave statutory law precedent over the congressional act aimed at protecting what was believed to be the Constitutional right of its citizens. Its enactment was inspired by a 1990 court case where Native Americans lost unemployment eligibility benefits when found to have been using peyote as a religious sacrament, a violation of Oregon state law. The irony of repealing the act cited violation of the First Amendment's stipulation regarding seperation of church and state; as a religious group would gain statutory privilege, resulting in the law being declared unconstitutional. In addition to this the court decided it couldn't account for "socially harmful conduct" in favor of state law by those who use herbs as sacrament; in this case peyote. The Religious Freedom Restoration Act was the result of a coalition of several religious organizations whose laws are now observed by a select number of states.
On February 27, 1998 devout Rastafarian George Singleton was pulled over by an Oklahoma Police Trooper and arrested for DUI. Depending on the account one reads he was suspected of either weaving in and out of lanes or driving with an expired license tag. Singleton was thought to be under the influence of marijuana based on the presence of mulein and rosemary, a medicinal herb used to treat tuberculosis. Though no intoxicants were found in his blood he spent 25 days in jail and was threatened to be charged with possessing an imitation illicit substance. Singleton, like many Rastafarians, has maintained his close relationship with nature through stewardship, herbology, and gardnering. He is the Director of a nonprofit organization who has been a member of the Indianapolis community for 10 years. Singleton's account of profiling is not unique to Rastafarians however the frequency of such harrassment is exacerbated by law.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Examiner.com
Author: Ivan England
Contact: Examiner.com
Copyright: 2010 Clarity Digital Group LLC d/b/a Examiner.com
Website: The law of Jah and marijuana
* Thanks to MedicalNeed for submitting this article
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