Mathari Hospital's Crucial Warning on Bhang Legalisation

After the demise of top leaders including Kibra MP, Ken Okoth, to cancer, there have been calls to legalise bhang which has been alleged to act as a curative drug.

On Monday, psychiatrists at Mathari Hospital warned that legalisation of bhang in Kenya will cause more havoc than good in the country.

"I can tell you clearly bhang has contributed a lot to the cases of mental illnesses. I have been in charge of Mathari Mental Hospital at one time and I did research there. 12.5 per cent of patients there were admitted over bhang induced psychosis,” Njangi Kumantha, a veteran psychiatrist stated.

The experienced doctor further revealed that bhang is not recognised as a curative drug despite the stories revolving around the myth.

“Whether it treats or not, it has that negative effect of mental illness. We should balance medical benefits and damages as it has never been approved medically. Bhang has not been listed anywhere as a drug even on International Classification of Diseases(ICDC) and any book on pharmacotherapy. It's not medicine, it is something people abuse,” he warned.

Nairobi Governor, Mike Sonko, during a memorial service for the late Ken Okoth, reiterated that the deceased MP had pushed for the legalisation of bhang in parliament.

He handpicked three Members of Parliament (MPs) to lead the charge to legalise marijuana in Kenya.

The governor urged members of the national assembly to pick up the mantle left by the former Kibra MP, regarding the legalisation of bhang.

He went on to handpick Embakasi East MP, Babu Owino, John Kiarie (Dagoretti South) and Charles 'Jaguar' Kanyi (Starehe).

Sonko also proposed that the country could leverage President Uhuru Kenyatta's recent ties with Jamaica, following his trip to the tropical island, to negotiate for the best grade of marijuana to be shipped from there if it is legalised.

Watch the video courtesy of Daily Nation:

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