Gwada Ogot (far right) appears before The Senate Health Committee on Thursday in petition to legalise marijuana

Gwada Ogot, the man behind a petition to legalize planting, sale or trade in cannabis sativa on Thursday appeared before The Senate Health Committee to defend his proposal.

Ogot, a resident of Siaya county, argues in his petition that the plant has a myriad of documented benefits.

“I pray the House recommends amnesty for all people jailed for possession, usage, sale, cultivation and transportation of cannabis sativa. Criminalising cannabis creates criminals where none existed,” Mr Ogot said.

If his proposal goes through, bhang will be deleted from the list of narcotic drugs in the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act of 1994.

He is also advocating for the establishment of a Cannabis regulatory body-Cannabis Sativa Board of Kenya (CSBK), to oversee the sector to ensure planting, trade, and consumption of the drug.

The committee, chaired by Migori Senator, Dr Wilfred Machage, will seek public views on the matter before preparing a report about the viability of the proposal.

The first public proponents of the petition have come from Kenyans on Twitter who took to the social media platform to air their views.

Using the hashtag #BhangPetition, below are some of their reactions: