Kenya: towards the decriminalisation of cannabis and the legalisation of medical cannabis?

Medical cannabis reforms are spreading around the world, on every continent, and now in Kenya.

The Kenyan Senate has was arrested by Gwada Ogot, a writer and political analyst, to decriminalize cannabis for personal use, and to legalize cannabis for therapeutic and industrial purposes. The Senate now has 60 days to consider the request within its Committee for the Health of the African Nation.

If the petition passes, cannabis, called bhang in Kenya (not to be confused with Indian bhang) be removed from the 1994 list of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. The petition also calls for anyone arrested for cannabis-related offences to be released.

Cannabis possession and consumption are currently illegal in Kenya.

The proposal also suggests that a Kenyan Cannabis Sativa Bureau be created to control the production and distribution of cannabis for medical use.

While cannabis use is fairly widespread in Kenya, the petition has created some controversy. Senator Kennedy Mong’, an aspirant to the presidential post, spoke of his cannabis use when he was and lent his support to the petition. «Strict regulations don't help. They are broken because the laws criminalize users. The problem is that Kenyans live in denial,» he explains.

Senators from all sides of the political spectrum exchange passionate arguments on the subject, while the local media often cite the example of the USA to explain how cannabis can be decriminalized and cultivated for medicinal purposes.

Look out for the outcome of this attempt to decriminalize cannabis in Kenya around April 15.