#BTColumn – Legalise it; don’t criticise it

I Ras Simba Akoma advocate as an individual, the president of an African centered charity, and a member of the Rastafari community for over 30 years, with the intention of assisting to influence just political, economic and social decisions that relate to the masses.

According to my research, 10 percent of a population holding a strong belief has the ability to persuade the remaining population to adopt that same belief, therein creating the power needed to instruct the government on the path it must take on any given issue.

For many years I have been advocating for just cannabis reform in Barbados.

My cannabis liberation struggles have assisted in the creation of a Sacramental Cannabis Act that places unreasonable limitations on the access to the cannabis plant for its spiritual usages by Rastafari, and by extension all Barbadians.

As I travel the roads of Barbados many people stop to express their gratitude for my advocacy on their behalf.

After being locked up for two days, it was determined that the youth had under 15 grams of the plant and would be required to pay a fine.

I, the Rastafari community, along with the rest of Barbadians who use cannabis in one way or another are totally fed up with the Prime Minister, the Attorney General, the Minister of Agriculture and those in the management roles of the Barbados Medicinal Cannabis Licensing Authority for the blatant disregard and disrespect being meted out to us.

If we continue to be ignored we must then have a national cannabis march and “Sit In Protest” when Parliament is in session.

I know many wish they could take back that vote they gave the BLP in the last election.

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