Over the years, some good lovable rhyming reggae songs have not ceased to soothe the souls and minds of many. Reggae songs still boast to be the blazers of freedom fighting.  They simply remain purgatory good through which the depressed, oppressed, disadvantaged and even the chuckled could attain freedom to express themselves.

Reggae songs are loved by many and if there is anyone who can hardly wean them self from listening to this music of wisdom and beats that appeal to the core of humanity, then, I am one. My favorite is simply reggae; call it the root, chantey, dance hall, lover’s rock, or spongy reggae my body just stays attuned. In fact, listening to good reggae sublimes any worries of mine momentarily, whiles my soul aligns with my body to produce a wavelike motion with little jumps that you may call a dance! It is just fantastic.

Aside these reggae songs being great, sad however is the fact that, most of the good foreign reggae songs call for legalization of the usage of Indian hemp or marijuana – a position that contradicts and contravene the governing laws of nations and consequently labels the songs as rebellious and  recipes for anarchy.  The result regrettably is mostly blanket labeling of lovers of reggae as smokers of Indian hemp.

Many parents in a quest to ensure  their children stay away from smoking of Indian hemp, either warn their children to stay away from listening and dancing to reggae songs or at least put their wards under strict surveillances. This is how stricter it could actually get sometimes.

Comparing these foreign reggae songs to songs made by Ghanaian artists, one could say with high degree of confidence, that most of the reggae songs echoing liberal usage of marijuana are Caribbean and not Ghanaian. As I stand to be corrected, I am yet to listen to a song composed by a Ghanaian artist calling for legalization of Indian hemp either craftily or in an open manner ten years ago or before. Neither have I listened to a radio presenter on air ten years ago or before, soliciting the minds of ordinary Ghanaians  as to whether Indian hemp should be legalized or not. Never!

However, Nigerian’s Chinua Achebe need not resurrect to tell us rightly in the face that, the centre is simply not holding per the status quo with regards to Indian hemp in Ghana. As reality stares us squarely in the face, it is now solidly clear, actions, perceptions and reactions of sections of Ghanaians are calling for legalization of Indian hemp rather than reggae songs. Why do I day so?

On one nice afternoon, whiles in a racketing jacketing public transport, simply “trotro” in a Ghanaian parlance, I got the fair share of what one would have expected on a public transport in Ghana. It was sight to see and atmosphere to experience.  From clear definitions of frustrations on faces of commuters to dripping sweats of many, alongside, intermittent lifting of the buttocks, and  closing up the already squeezed spaces for others to fill in (the push-push practice) in a public transport. Not only was the interjecting stoppage at vantage points by the vehicle was enough to exhaust and drain one, but also the accompanying high pitch shout chorusing various destinations by the “aplanke”. The sound of honking from other cars, petty arguments, political twists to comments, disputes over fares, humors and complains of discomforts in the car were just full to the brim for the journey. As if that was not enough, ear splitting sound from the radio in the vehicle was also there to reckon with.  A phone in radio programme was being aired, and the response expected from callers were either to side with legitimization of Indian hemp in Ghana, or still choose to maintain criminalization of its usage.

From the tone of the presenter, one could see his excitement about the programme, as he occasionally floated some Jamaican patois to spice up his oratory skills. Well rehearsed, I thought. At the end of the programme, more than 80% of the callers opted for legitimization of Indian hemp in Ghana. Indeed, some callers cast insinuations, and further questioned why the delay in legitimization of Indian hemp in Kwame Nkrumah’s Ghana. In an undertone, I said to myself, realities.

Not too long ago was the news that, a group has come up calling for release of my brother Kwaw Kese when he was arrested for smoking Indian hemp in the open. In furtherance to that, a lawyer demanding the release of Kwaw painted Kwaw’s arrest and continuous detention precisely as an action that was savagery, backward and not belonging to the twenty first century. In speaking to Kwaw Kese’s action, some section of the public telephoned radio stations explaining, had Kwaw not smoked publicly, he could have been released. That school of thought provided the explication that, no police personnel goes from home to home searching for smokers of Indian hemp.  At the end, their story only ended up in saying, Indian hemp could be smoked at home and not publicly. These actions and reactions were just rationalisation and justification of a crime and were nothing short of implicit call for legalisation of marijuana by extension.

 So for a moment, I pulled my thinking cavity to a halt, conducted quick check to determine my ability to think right.  The realisation was a mixture. Either the law regarding narcotics in Ghana has been amended without me knowing that for a fact or my ignorance in that aspect stood tall. To move on, the self determined verdicts pronounced on myself were accepted momentarily. Just move on and get on with life, the inner me sounded. So, I moved, this time not too far and decided to check.

Kwaw’s action grossly offended 1990 PNDCL 236:  (1.)  “Any person, who without lawful authority, proof of which shall be on him, has in his possession or under his control any narcotic drug commits an offence. (2)Any person found guilty of an offence under subsection (1) shall on conviction be liable to imprisonment for a term of not less than ten years.

What could have goaded an abrupt burgeoning of a group, to clearly subvert and undermine the position of the law, by advocating for release of Kwaw when, he Kwaw was in clear violation of the law?  Men indeed are having it as a play ground, where even angels fear to tread! Our law frowned on use of marijuana, yet a section of the public gird up their groin to support its use. Once again, it is reality that beckons for legitimization of marijuana even though the law detests it and the law seemed to be mortified. 

Just when Kwaw Kese’s bail set in, Myojoyonline.com published a story in which students were alleged to cultivate marijuana in parts of Ashanti region to fund their education. Surprisingly, this is not the first time a mention has been made of large scale Indian hemp cultivation in parts of the country. So again, I murmured to myself, realities, not mirages but realities.

Per 1990(PNDCL 236), ‘no person shall without lawful authority undertake any activity for the purpose of establishing or promoting any enterprise relating to narcotic drugs’.  Yet another and other realities in the clear face of the above law are the open display of images of Indian hemp in our society. Youngsters wear t-shirts, hand bands, head bands and hold bandanas with Indian hemp nicely drawn on them. Cars have stickers with Indian hemp drawn on them, with various inscriptions, advertising Indian hemp in a way. How at one stretch could our laws ban use of marijuana, close in on those who smoke it, and swiftly in another stretch remain passive in such gross presence of realities promoting Indian hemp use?

Deductions could simply tell it is ineffectiveness in enforcement of narcotics law in all spheres that might be the root cause of making many to think usage of marijuana not to be an offense, or at least less an offense. Consequently, the dare to smoke it openly.

Once usage remains an offense, it would have been very prudent if that signal is sent in the strongest terms to all as such in actions, reactions and perceptions. It will equally be in the right direction to evoke the prosecutorial effects on promotion of an illegality- use of marijuana. Lay man as I am, I would have interpreted the law to warrant the arrest and prosecution of all who overtly display images of marijuana. To me, such actions only lead to promotion of the use of Indian hemp. So also in that same stride will my lay man’s court prosecute those supporting release of Kwaw, as a group abetting and aiding crime. After all, the law only mentions narcotics of which Indian hemp is just part. How could anyone or any group in any figment of imagination, call for release of Naayele Ametefe without welcoming a speedily wrap up followed by detention and questioning? Here, I am very much confused. Do we have grades of narcotics and if yes, which grade is Indian hemp? 

As a nation, there is a great need to put things in their right context in order to be consistent. Otherwise, realities as they stand, could deceive many and then the law protrudes its grips on those that might only be reacting to the dictates of the system and realities. From this perspective, the law on narcotics may seemingly be a trap only awaiting one to fall in its snares, most especially when it has to do with Indian hemp. To this end, I strongly believe, it is nothing but our own attitude towards Indian hemp that gave Kwaw the all needed confidence to smoke in the open. Kwaw was set up by the system, and the system again pounced on him. He is likely to get a sentence just as Naayele, but in his case, will he be getting the needed justice when reality tells the world his actions were within the realms of normalcy? Yes normalcy! Let us not burry our heads in the sand as ostrich. In our towns, villages, cottages and even homes, chiefs, assemblymen, politicians are aware of use of Indian hemp. Perhaps every reader of this article knows a close friend or a relative that smokes Indian hemp. Such knowledge may be so prevalent that, it might even be smoked on streets of our communities without any ill feeling. So, it is the microcosm that reflects in the macrocosm. If many now call for release of one who smoked and fouled the law at a national level, then that is only a reflection of what we have come to learn in our immediate environments.

No matter how we as a nation believe the law on the use of marijuana must be eased, it is important to realize, that as it stands, it is an offense to use it. We cannot afford to undermine the very law we have set to live up to. It is time to change our reactions, actions and paradigms about the use of Indian hemp in society. It remains an illegal substance and must be treated as such. Otherwise let us collectively amend our law with regards to use of marijuana. We cannot afford to lose being a nation of laws.

Perhaps, the legalization of marijuana in some nations presently, might be the bases for many to venture into thinking, same should be done in our dear nation. My opinion however is that, Ghana at the present does not have the system in place to control, monitor and medically administer marijuana under any other or medical prescription. Consequently, marijuana promotion, use and abuse remain an offense and must be treated as such. Monumental realities however point to the fact that, hitherto, songs call for legalization of marijuana, but in Ghana now, reality does. It therefore behooves on the appropriate authorities to stand up to the challenge and manage the situations through the eyes of the law rather than the lukewarm posturing.