Reggae highlights: spiritual use of marijuana in the Rastafari Religion

The singer Bob Marley raised International awareness of Rastafari in the 1970's with the popular genre, reggae music. With a spiritual act of smoking Cannabis, for Rastas, this is considered a sacrament that cleanses the mind, body and heals the soul. Now a fully legalised and sanctioned part of the Rasta society in Jamaica.

An Abrahamic belief, Rastafari developed in the 1930's in Jamaica. With the coronation of the Emperor of Ethiopia Haile Selassie, his followers worship him in the same way that other religious cultures do with their belief in God, Mother Mary, and Jesus Christ. As the Rastafari way of life rejects materialism, oppression, and sensual pleasures, the spiritual use of cannabis encompasses the culture. Many Rastafarians encourage one another to find inspiration and faith within themselves.

The modern and popular music of Jamaica is Reggae, which was strongly influenced by rhythm and blues, American Jazz and commercialised at a later date being referred to as Blue Beat, Rock Steady and Rudi Blues. With the offbeat rhythm section and recognizable drum and bass downbeat, reggae formed the base of many percussion instruments. With the base guitar playing the main rhythm and thread, allowing the lower frequency to be recognised, at times removing the upper frequency.

The majority of reggae songs are based on love and peace. Johnny Nash spent four weeks at #1 with the song I can see Clearly Now, in the American charts influenced by the most profound and worldwide recognised bands of all time; The Wailers, a band created by Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, and Peter Tosh. To this day their albums are recorded in history as the most influential Rastafarian to have performed and written under this genre.