Marijuana grade in Kisii, Meru shocks Mututho

Ex National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) chairperson John Mututho has warned against legalizing marijuana in the country.

In an interview with KTN News, Mututho said the grade of marijuana in the country was so high and could have adverse effects to users if legalized.

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For instance Mututho said cannabis in Kisii had 10.2% of Tetrahydrocannabinoid (THC), a crystalline compound and main active ingredient of cannabis as compared to 0.2% in Europe.

In the interview, the ex NACADA boss wondered if it was logical to legalize the drug in Kenya where it was 50 times more potent than Europe.

He explained that the marijuana that is grown in Meru, Ethiopia and some parts of Nakuru could have long-term effects on users leading them to have wild imaginations and hallucinations.

He warned that marijuana of such high grades was not fit for human consumption, giving an instance where some users of marijuana have been captured in camera diving into a basin thinking it is a swimming pool.

The high grade marijuana in Kisii, Meru and Nakuru is linked to a number of factors including altitude, soil, water and temperature.

This come just days after the Rastafari Society in Kenya filed a petition in court seeking to be allowed to smoke cannabis.

In their petition at the High Court, the Rastafari want to be allowed to use marijuana for religious, medicinal, ceremonial and also as food.

They claimed this was in accordance with their bible, ‘Holy Piby’, which directs them to either smoke, drink, eat, bath and/or burn marijuana as incense.

Through their lawyers Shadrack Wambui and Alexander Mwendwa, they claimed the anti narcotic drug act was wrong to criminalize their spiritual act of using marijuana which they use for spiritual growth.

Section 3(2) (a) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Control Act that allows courts to convict up to 10 years, an individual found guilty of being in possession of marijuana for personal use.