Senator Ledama Olekina of Narok has urged President William Ruto to legalize marijuana.
The senator claimed in a statement that having hemp as a commercial product in Kenya will ‘evaporate’ the country’s problems rather than focusing on genetically modified crops (GMO).
He insisted that GMOs have negative consequences.
“Instead of talking about GMO which we all know it’s advance effects (transfer of antibiotic resistance, toxicity and allergenicity), Ruto should just legalize Marijuana and promote Hemp as a commercial product trust me all our problems will evaporate,” Ledama said.
Ruto announced the lifting of the 2012 moratorium on the importation or open cultivation of GMO crops while chairing a cabinet meeting on Monday.
Kenyan farmers can now plant genetically modified crops and animal feeds. This is expected to boost the country’s food and animal feed production.
However, there has been widespread concern about the potential negative effects of genetically modified crops on smallholder farms, existing crops, the environment, and people’s long-term health.
Ledama believes it is preferable for the country to legalise cannabis rather than lift the GMO ban.
The second-term Senator has advocated for marijuana legalization in Kenya, citing the plant’s economic and health benefits.
In 2020, a legislator seen standing inside a marijuana plantation in Lithuania, Europe, wondered why the plant is still illegal in Kenya, saying the law is part of the ‘old ways.’
The late Kibra MP Ken Okoth introduced the Marijuana Control Bill 2018 in the National Assembly in 2018. The bill sought to decriminalize marijuana use and establish regulations for its cultivation and use.
Gwada Ogot and Simon Mwaura, two Kenyan researchers, blazed the trail in petitioning Parliament to legalize cannabis a year earlier.
Raila Junior has also advocated for the legalization of medicinal marijuana, saying that there is a need to legalize medical marijuana as it is something that can help Kenya, especially sick people who will need marijuana in their treatment.
