Barbados: High Court Rejects Rastafari Challenge to Sacramental Cannabis Act

On 4 July 2026, the Barbados High Court dismissed a constitutional challenge to the Sacramental Cannabis Act, the 2019 law that carves out narrow religious use for Rastafari members. Justice Michelle Weekes ruled at the No. 8 Supreme Court that the statute, and the wider Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act, Chapter 131, do not unlawfully limit religious freedom, freedom of expression, or protection against discrimination based on creed.

What the Court Decided

The claimant, Paul “Ras Simba” Rock, argued that Barbados’ cannabis framework prevents him from using cannabis during religious ceremonies conducted at his home, and that the Sacramental Cannabis Act makes no accommodation for Rastafari women who are excluded from tabernacles during menstruation. His attorney, Lalu Hanuman, brought the case under freedom of conscience, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and association, freedom of religion, and equal-treatment protections in the Constitution.

Justice Weekes rejected each ground. Her order read simply: “The claimant’s claims regarding the constitutionality of the Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act, Chapter 131 and the Sacramental Cannabis Act are dismissed.” Written reasons are due on or before 29 July 2026.

Rock told the court he was disappointed the ruling came without immediate reasoning. He said he intends to appeal within the 28-day window and is seeking assistance from the Legal Aid Department.

What This Means for Travelers

For visitors, the practical picture in Barbados does not change. The Sacramental Cannabis Act was never a tourist pathway. It grants permits for cannabis use within Rastafari places of worship, subject to Barbados Medicinal Cannabis Licensing Authority oversight. It does not authorize cannabis use in hotels, on cruise ships, on beaches, or by non-Rastafari visitors under any framing.

The 2021 Drug Abuse (Prevention and Control) (Amendment) Act’s 14-gram decriminalization threshold remains in force. Possession under 14 grams still triggers a fine of BBD $200 rather than arrest. Over 14 grams remains a criminal offence. Public smoking, cruise-port possession, and airport transit continue to be enforced.

For Rastafari travelers hoping to worship at a Barbadian tabernacle, the ruling narrows a door that was already narrow. Sacramental use remains lawful for BMCLA-permitted members within registered places of worship, and Friday’s ruling does not disturb that framework. It does confirm that the court will not extend those protections to private homes or to female members outside the tabernacle setting.

What to Watch

The written reasons on 29 July will show which constitutional tests the court applied and how it weighed religious freedom against public-health justifications. If Rock files an appeal, the Barbados Court of Appeal would take up the same questions, potentially on a longer runway. Watch also for any BMCLA guidance clarifying how the ruling interacts with existing sacramental permits, and for any related test cases in the wider CARICOM region, where Antigua and Barbuda, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Jamaica have taken different roads on Rastafari sacramental protection.