Popular Ghanaian reggae artiste, Blakk Rasta, says he is ready to explain himself to parliament following his comments that MPs use marijuana, an illegal substance.

The Hitz FM presenter is alleged to have said 80 percent of Members of Ghana’s Parliament smoke marijuana, known locally as weed on his Taxi Driver show.

The MP for Afigya Sekyere East, Hendricks David Yeboah, during Wednesday's sitting, drew the attention of the Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho to the comments captured in the Searchlight newspaper.

In reaction Abubakar Ahmed known in the showbiz circles as Black Rasta clarified the reported statement insisting he did not imply that the MPs smoke the banned substance.

“About 80% of MPs or over might have used marijuana before and are still using marijuana…that is what I said” Blakk Rasta pointed out on Joy News Wednesday.

Proceeding to defend this comment, Blakk Rasta explained that Marijuana has “over two million uses.”

He said hair and body creams, shirts and shoes, and many other household consumer items are made out of marijuana fibre or contain some marijuana properties.

These products are commonly used by many people including MPs, Blakk Rasta said.

He said it is “primitive” for anybody to believe that marijuana is restricted to smoking.

Such persons, he said, must be kept in a “mausoleum.” 

Blakk Rasta turned the interview about his alleged offence into a campaign for the legalization of the banned substance.

He argued that marijuana can “help us with our economic woes” if legalized. He said the illegality of marijuana is based on a “racist” premise and called on Ghanaians and Africans to reject this premise.

The immediate effects of taking marijuana include rapid heart beat, disorientation, lack of physical coordination, often followed by depression or sleepiness. Some users suffer panic attacks or anxiety.

Despite the researched and documented dangers of using marijuana, Blakk Rasta argued that a local alcoholic concoction, ‘Akpeteshie’ has not been banned although it is as equally harmful.

“You know how many people akpestie has killed?”, he queried.

The reggae artiste says he is ready to take his fight for the legalization of marijuana to parliament.

Facing the Privileges Committee for his alleged contemptuous comments is the “least of my worries”.

“I will provide more [proof about their usage of marijuana] than they want to hear”.