Damian Marley and Professor Green call for legalisation of cannabis for medicinal use

Damian Marley and Professor Green called for the legalisation of cannabis for medicinal use in Britain at a symposium in London on Wednesday (27Jun18).
Damian “Jr. Gong”, the youngest son of Jamaican music legend Bob Marley, and Green were part of a panel at a conference held in Britain’s the House of Commons, which called for a change in the legal status of the drug in the U.K.
The Grammy award-winning reggae artist is an advocate of the medical benefits of cannabis, and in 2016 he partnered with Ocean Grown Extracts to buy a former prison in California to turn it into a farm producing cannabis oils, extracts and other products for medicinal use.
“It’s a big part of my culture,” the Welcome to Jamrock singer said. “Even before proof of the medical benefits of the plant, we were always endorsing the plant… We have a saying in Jamaica that ‘the herb is the healing of the nation’. With it becoming legal in various places, there’s now slowly more research that proves there is evidence of that.”
Rapper Green, real name Stephen Manderson, who made critically acclaimed BBC documentary Is It Time to Legalise Weed? on the subject, blamed a “lack of education” about cannabis for current negative attitudes surrounding its use.
“We’re less liberal when it comes to many things when you compare us to other parts of the world, and what we get from that is many more problems… If something’s underground, it’s not spoken about,” he said.
The musicians joined Norman Lamb MP, Dr Frank D’Ambrosio and Change.org activist Kate Rothwell, all of who are also keen to see the law changed.
The video for Damian’s recently released single Medication which features his brother Stephen Marley, was shot in the former prison he co-owns and stars former inmates and includes testimonials from people who’ve been helped by the plant including U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Sean Major who uses cannabis for brain trauma and PTSD.
Damian is performing a series of gigs in the U.K. beginning 28 June in Manchester, Leeds on 29 June, Birmingham, 30 June, and London on 1 July.