Celebrating Bob Marley and His Thoughts On Marijuana: 34 Years Of Rebellion and Unity

Thirty four years ago Monday, Bob Marley left with us his legacy—he united the people with his unmatched politically incisive and universally evocative music. To date, millions of people still know and revere Bob Marley for his contributions to the music industry that has inspired liberation and unity across gender and race.

Bob Marley’s life continues to have a huge impact on the world, even after his passing. Ray Hitchins, a lecturer at the Institute of Caribbean Studies at the University of West Indies, tells EFE, “His legacy is not complete. His influence continues to grow and expand. It has not met its full potential.”

In Jamaica, his birthday is celebrated as a national holiday. In New Zealand, their Independence Day celebration called Waitangi Day incorporates a huge chunk of Bob Marley’s music. In other developing countries, Bob Marley continues to be the voice of protest and righteousness.

However, in the west, Bob Marley is highly known for the questions he raised and his thoughts on one of the most controversial plant in the world, Marijuana.

The Huffington Post published a report on Bob Marley’s apparent support for Marijuana. The Bob Marley website even characterizes him as “a staunch supporter of the plant’s meditational, spiritual and healing abilities, and a fierce opponent to those (“political forces”) who tried using marijuana as a vehicle for oppression, and to keep certain groups of people out of the societal mainstream.”

In an interview with Bob Marley from the late 1970s, Marley talks about his opposition of the government’s criminalization for using Marijuana.

“Herb, herb is a plant. I mean herbs are good for everything. Why, why these people who want to do so much good for everyone, who call themselves governments and this and that. Why them say you must not use the herb? Them just say, ‘No, you mustn’t use it, you mustn’t use it because it will make you rebel.’ Against what?”

In 2014, the Marley family announced that they have partnered with private firm Privateer Holdings to distribute Marijuana in U.S. states where it is legally sold. CEO of Privateer Holdings Brendan Kennedy tells The Huffington Post how Bob Marley has become the perfect person to push for the freedom to use Marijuana.

“If you were to try and pick one person in the history of the world associated with this product, it would be Bob Marley. Everyone has a little Bob Marley on their playlist and that’s different than anything else out there in this market.”

Cedella Marley, Bob’s daughter, talks more about his support for the plant in an interview with The Huffington Post.

“Creative inspiration was everything for my father — it was like breathing or life to him. Every time he smoked, he was inspired and an open mind was the open door for his creative inspiration. He thought the herb was actually a gift.”

On February, the Jamaican government passed a bill that decriminalized the use of marijuana for medical, religious, and scientific purposes. As an amendment to the Jamaican Dangerous Drug Act, possession of two ounces or loss of marijuana will result only to a ticketable offense, not criminal. Bob Marley supporters all over the world believe that this goes to Bob Marley’s rally to support Marijuana.

Thirty four years since Bob Marley’s death and everyone still remembers the musician and continues his fight to break oppression, fight for liberation, and fight to support Marijuana.

[Image via monosnaps/Flickr]