Rastafari gain sacramental rights to marijuana in Antigua and Barbuda, celebrate freedom of worship

For decades, members of the Rastafari community have been persecuted and imprisoned for their ritualistic marijuana use. But the islands of Antigua and Barbuda recently became one of the first Caribbean nations to grant Rastafari official sacramental authorization to grow the herb. Prime Minister Gaston Browne says his government took this step to try to bring respect to the Rastafari faith. Members of the island’s Rastafari community spoke to the AP in their sacred grounds, where they worship and grow food and marijuana. As public opinion and policy continues to shift across the world toward legalization of marijuana, Rastafari are clamoring for freedom of worship and the curtailing of persecution.