Dagoretti South MP John Kiarie ‘KJ’ has challenged Parliament to craft legislation legalizing the use of marijuana for industrial and medicinal purposes in Kenya.
Speaking during a debate on the Crops Bill 2019 at the National Assembly on Thursday, the lawmaker said the country can no longer turn a blind eye to the economic benefits of cannabis.
Kiarie said there was a need to review the country’s agriculture concept to net into the benefits of non-conventional crops such as Marijuana and Achiote – known in the Coast as ‘mrangi’.
“It is time we stopped being cowards as a house and start looking at crops that will be of benefit to this country,” Kiarie said.
“It is, therefore, time we also considered the legalization of marijuana in this country. I am talking about knowing that marijuana is pest-resistant. We understand the benefits in the marijuana production value chain, for medicinal and industrial use,” the MP added.
Kiarie noted that decriminalizing Marijuana should not be construed as calling for recreational use.
“This is for us to open our minds so that we reap from the benefits of a crop that is not affected by pests and diseases and is also drought resistant,” the MP said.
“From the industrial use of hemp to the medicinal use, this is a discussion that we will open as we have a holistic look at how we tackle agriculture.”
