MORE than often, when one hears mention of marijuana, almost instantaneously words such as ‘criminal’ and ‘illegal’ jolt the mind.Perhaps for good measure since use of the drug is illegal in Guyana. But how many know of cannabis, aside from it being a forbidden substance here?
Despite cultural differences, ethnic marginalisation and economic inequalities, the   ancient plant, which many believe has its origin in the East or Asia, has been used by people of practically all cultures.
The spread of the herb can be attributed to the movement of people, and generally, it was also made a coloniser by the droppings of migratory seed-eating birds.
Marijuana use in Guyana and some countries in the Caribbean is largely identified with the Rastafarian culture, but as mentioned earlier, it was used by other cultures, notably in China, as a medicinal drug from around 2000 BC.
Its weaker cousin of the cannabis family, hemp, has a long and illustrious history in China, dating back some 6,500 years ago in China.
The strong and durable hemp fiber was used in the manufacture of fishing nets, ropes, paper and clothes. In fact, the making of clothes from hemp fiber by the Chinese only ceased when they discovered silk around 3000 BC.
But there is more to this. It was one of the earliest cultivated food grains in China and archaeologists have found the grains in sacrificial vessels in ancient tombs in that country. It was vital food in the afterlife journey.
As the hemp culture flourished in China, surrounding tribes learnt of cannabis, and eventually it was introduced in India by the Aryans.
Unlike China, where marijuana was used as medicine, in India, the people of the South, who are direct descendants of the people of Africa, used the plant for sacramental purposes.
Some scholars believe that the familial relationship between the two peoples is evident in the ritualistic smoking of marijuana by the Indian sadhus, who are followers of Lord Shiva, and the Rastafarians, whose roots are in Africa.
In fact, in the sacred text, Atharva Veda, the herb is referred to as a reliever of stress and anxiety, and according to an Indian mythology, when not abused, it lowers fever, enable sleep, prolongs life, quickens the mind and sharpens judgment.
The Rastafarians also utilise the herb principally not for idling or the wasting away of life, but for reasons similar to Indian believers.
Though it comes over as odd to many Guyanese because of stigma and popular perception, the cry of the Rastafarian community for legalisation of the herb is not a misplaced one, but any legalisation must restrict its use to avoid abuse of it.
The Constitution of Guyana guarantees her citizens the right to practice their religion, and as a recognised culture, even though a minority group, the rights of the Rastafarians, like all other recognised cultures, at least should be upheld.
The move to ban smoking in public places and the call for legalisation of marijuana can both work, but both have to be taken in context. The banning of smoking in public places for all intents and purposes is a civil act which should be applied to all, but controlled legalisation of marijuana is preserving the constitutional right of a recognised group of Guyanese to practice their religion.
The medicinal use of the drug can also be developed for commercial purposes, and the sentencing of offenders with small quantities of the drug can be revised.
Putting youths away in jail for three years for possession of the substance do little to reform them, since many who were imprisoned for that length of time have come out as hardened criminals.
It would be far wiser to ease the expense burden of the State by sentencing these persons to community service, which in effect is not a wasteful punishment, but a step in the right direction in supporting the wider effort for a clean and green Guyana.
However, by all means, any legalisation of marijuana should not be without restrictions as anything to the contrary would be the equivalent of courting the devil to promote mental retardation.