Freedom of Religion and Drug Use

PQ Broadsheet April 2000

With the legal status of cannabis coming under increasing scrutiny it is timely to examine what a church response to cannabis might be. Issues have been raised about the health impact of drug use, but there are other factors to take into account. One, which should be of particular interest to the churches, is whether the use of ganja (cannabis) in religious ceremonies by Rastafarians is an issue of religious freedom.

For the Rastafarian ganja use is a religious sacrament, “enabling the Rastafarian a oneness with both God and himself,” according to one web site on the topic. Its use is partially justified by Bible passages such as Psalm 104:14, “He causeth the grass for the cattle, and herb for the service of man”. Other texts referred to are Genesis 3:18, Exodus 10:12, Proverbs 15:17. Whatever one thinks of the use of the drug, and the exegesis supporting this, the question is should Rastafarian be able to use ganja for their religious ceremonies?

There is a precedent from Christian history that could be used to justify ganja use for Rastafarians. Under alcohol prohibition in the United States Christians were permitted to use wine in the Eucharist. Then the issue was one of religious freedom, and the use of an illegal and harmful drug was allowed for religious purposes. Given that freedom of religion and the right to manifest that religion in public is enshrined in our Bill of Rights Act could Rastafarians claim a right to use ganja here? At stake for Christians is the principle of religious freedom. This is precious to us all and we should think carefully about whether the banning a substance or practice common in one religion poses a threat to other religions too.

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