Bensoul’s plea for Marijuana legalization divides social media opinion
Benson Mutua Muia, the rising star of Sol Generation, known as Bensoul, is making headlines for his bold advocacy for the legalization of marijuana in Kenya.
In a recent interview with Anyiko, the artist and father of one expressed his support for the medicinal use of the controversial substance.
“Whoever made weed illegal, they were doing it politically and they were trying to oppress the black people. Most countries have legalized weed because they have realized its value. Tumelalia pesa yetu. I have never seen anyone go crazy because of weed, and it has never been recorded. Most people who go crazy do so because of other drugs,” Bensoul stated.
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His latest album, “The Lion of Sudah,” featuring 15 songs, alludes to the use of marijuana, a substance currently prohibited under Kenyan laws.
“420 is a beautiful day, it’s the day of celebration of the greatest medicine cannabis, so it was important for my album to be released on that day. This is because the album has quite a few songs that advocate the use of marijuana but also support the movement that is pushing for its legalization in Kenya,” Bensoul explained.
Since the album’s release in April 2024, Bensoul has been vocal about what he perceives as the backward thinking of criminalizing a drug widely accepted in many countries worldwide.
“I feel like if other parts of the world have legalized marijuana, then we as a country should do the same. There are so many places where people are making money from the marijuana business and helping their families. It has also been used to make medicine, so why are we as a country not able to see these benefits?” he questioned.
Social media erupted with diverse opinions on the matter:
burna.boy.news: “My friend in university went crazy because of weed and he later died. What is this one saying?”
mary_ogambi: “Weed is one of the triggers za mental illness juu It messes with brain cells vuta tu weed na maybe kwenyu kuna genes za kuchizi na hamna pesa utajipata mathari.”
rhova._: “Don’t abuse the herb; it’s gonna crush your brain.”
abpenda2015: “Drugs are not for everyone…. That is why drugs have different classes of drugs… There are people who even work more when they use drugs… My friend uses a minimum of 500 on weed daily and can work for at least 12 hours productively… My other friend got so addicted tulimfanyia toxicology and took him to rehab… I quit 5 years ago coz it just gave me uncompleted thoughts… summary such drugs are controlled because they have different results on everyone.”
bravinyuri: “Most people do not know that Marijuana was banned because of racism as whites claimed blacks used to use marijuana so that they could take over or snatch their women from them. In addressing racism, such are things that should be put to light. There is a lot of medicinal value in marijuana and it could help a lot if research is advanced which can only happen upon legalization.”