Damian Marley has always been unapologetically vocal about his belief in the Rastafarian saying that "herb is the healing of the nation". What is somewhat less obvious, however, is that the musician would be invited to the Houses of Parliament to discuss the issue of medical marijuana legalisation here in the UK with the likes of MP Norman Lamb and Dr Frank D’Ambrosio, one of the US's leading voices for medicinal cannabis policy reform. And yet this is precisely what happened last week, when Marley was called upon as an expert voice to take part in a symposium in Westminster in anticipation of the 6 July debate on the proposed bill (medicinal purposes) of legalisation of cannabis (medicinal purposes) in the House Of Commons.
You see, as a medical marijuana farmer himself, Marley's foray into British politics is not quite as unlikely as it might seem. Back in 2016 Marley bought a sprawling, disused Californian prison and turned it into a farm producing cannabis oils, extracts and other products for medicinal use. Since then, he has taken his advocacy up a notch, so much so that his recent music video for his song “Medication”, filmed at the farm, included the stories from people who’ve been helped by the plant, such as a United States Marine Corps sergeant who suffers from PTSD. He and his brother Stephen Marley, who features on the track, ran a social-media campaign of testimonies based on the hashtag #cannabisheals around the release. “Research takes time and practise to prove itself,” Marley says of the importance of patient endorsements, “because people use the medicine, they can see the results. As we see the results, we see them having positive effects on people... Testimonials show that it is not about getting high or doing it for fun, but that cannabis is a medicine changing lives.”
Yesterday's debate comes at a time when the conversation around patient endorsements has reached fever-pitch. What started with the home secretary granting permission for two mothers to legally use cannabis to treat their epileptic children has snowballed into a country-wide debate on the pros and cons of cannabis legalisation in the UK and Sajid Javid announcing a review that hones in on “the need to look more closely at the use of cannabis-based medicine in the healthcare sector". Marley sees events like the symposium as vital to prospective change. “Discussion in general is a good way to help change attitudes, enlighten and hopefully help people fill in the blanks when it comes to being ignorant of the medical side of cannabis,” he says.
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“What’s very interesting is how rapid this discussion has picked [up] here in the UK," says Marley, who sees the symposium and ensuing debate as a positive step towards international recognition of the scientific evidence supporting cannabis' medical benefits. "When I was here last summer, it didn’t have the momentum that it has now. That’s beautiful – how quickly people are listening to the realities of the benefits of marijuana.” Referencing cases like that of 12-year-old epilepsy sufferer Billy Caldwell, Marley is keen to emphasise how “these families are not trying to get their little children high or turn them into potheads. They are trying to help them by administering cannabis with no psychedelic effect.” Most of all, Marley wants people to see that we are now "at a time where this is not just something potheads are into. We have well-respected medical professionals and doctors saying that there is evidence of the benefits of this plant... the proof is in the pudding".
"Cannabis being illegal shunned research and the experience of seeing what the different benefits may be," he says, pointing to how places like California and Colorado, where medical marijuana is legal, have become centres of research. Beyond well-publicised evidence suggesting that marijuana may have positive effects for cancer suffers, Marley hopes to draw attention to studies that display how the plant's medical benefits show "promise in all kinds of areas and illnesses".
Does Marley have concerns about the legalisation of medical marijuana? Yes, but only insofar as how giant pharmaceutical companies might seek to benefit. He points out how, in the States, “the money guys... who wouldn’t go near anything cannabis-related, are now investing in the cannabis industry because it can be profitable”. Marley hopes that “the people who have always been advocates of herb should be able to benefit from it. I think it would be very hypocritical if these big drug companies, some of which have actually tried to suppress legalisation, profit.” To say the least, he’s skeptical of “these huge pharmaceutical companies that benefit from keeping people sick. They’d rather numb your symptoms than cure what you actually have.”
Ultimately, Marley would like to see people in the UK "sharing experiences and knowledge, definitely expressing that if you’re not for the recreational side of it, that’s cool, as what we really want to talk about in this particular case is the medical side, which has nothing to do with getting high. It’s about curing yourself and getting better. That’s very important to highlight, that there’s a difference."
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