COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Mosiyah Tafari banged on drums and chanted psalms with other Rastafari in a ballroom where the smoke of frankincense mixed with the fragrant smell of marijuana — which his faith deems sacred.

Rastafari want more legal marijuana for freedom of worship | Health & Fitness
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From left, Mosiyah Tafari and Binghi Neal take a break from traditional nyabinghi drumming and chanting on stage as frankincense wafts from a burner held by Ras Jahbo, center, during an event by the Rastafari Coalition marking the 91st anniversary of the coronation of the late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I in Columbus, Ohio on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. As public opinion and policy continues to shift in the U.S. and across the world towards the use of marijuana, some adherents of Rastafari question their place in the future of the herb that they consider sacred.
Jahdarah Mahan, a Rastafari from Cincinnati, Ohio poses for a portrait after an event organized by the Columbus, Ohio-based Rastafari Coalition marking the 91st anniversary of the coronation of the late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio. For Rastafari, the ritualistic smoking of marijuana brings them closer to the divine, and as public opinion and policy continues to shift across the world toward the use of cannabis, some are questioning their place in the future of the herb that they consider sacred.
Lael Tafari, right, a respected elder in Ohio’s Rastafari community, greets Rastafari adherent Ras Zack Scott, left, on the sidelines of an event organized by the Columbus, Ohio-based Rastafari Coalition marking the 91st anniversary of the coronation of the late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021 in Columbus, Ohio.
A Bible is opened during an event by the Rastafari Coalition marking the 91st anniversary of the coronation of the late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I in Columbus, Ohio on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. As public opinion and policy continues to shift in the U.S. and across the world towards the use of marijuana, some adherents of Rastafari question their place in the future of the herb that they consider sacred.
Zack Scott prays during an event by the Rastafari Coalition marking the 91st anniversary of the coronation of the late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I in Columbus, Ohio on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. As public opinion and policy continues to shift in the U.S. and across the world towards the use of marijuana, some adherents of Rastafari question their place in the future of the herb that they consider sacred.
Mark Hunter, lead singer of the Ark Band, performs at an event organized by the nonprofit Rastafari Coalition marking the 91st anniversary of the coronation of the late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio. The coronation day event also included chanting, traditional nyabinghi drumming and the reading of psalms, which are the core of Rastafari holiday celebrations.
Empress Imani Tafari, 8, and Ras Mo dance during an event by the Rastafari Coalition marking the 91st anniversary of the coronation of the late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I in Columbus, Ohio on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. The coronation day event included chanting, traditional nyabinghi drumming and the reading of psalms, which are the core of Rastafari holiday celebrations.
Amaha Sellassie prays as Ras’Micael Inman, 12, Miziah Smith, 9, and Taleia Inman, 10, read the Bible during an event by the Rastafari Coalition marking the 91st anniversary of the coronation of the late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I in Columbus, Ohio on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. The coronation day event included chanting, traditional nyabinghi drumming and the reading of psalms, which are the core of Rastafari holiday celebrations.
Victoria Williams and Menelik Tafari pray during an event by the Rastafari Coalition marking the 91st anniversary of the coronation of the late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I in Columbus, Ohio on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. The coronation day event included chanting, traditional nyabinghi drumming and the reading of psalms, which are the core of Rastafari holiday celebrations.
A Rastafari attendee makes a hand gesture symbolizing the Star of David during an event by the Rastafari Coalition marking the 91st anniversary of the coronation of the late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I in Columbus, Ohio on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021.
Amaha Sellassie prays during an event by the Rastafari Coalition marking the 91st anniversary of the coronation of the late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I in Columbus, Ohio on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. As public opinion and policy continues to shift in the U.S. and across the world towards the use of marijuana, some adherents of Rastafari question their place in the future of the herb that they consider sacred.
A Rastafari attendee holds a cannabis cigarette during an event by the Rastafari Coalition marking the 91st anniversary of the coronation of the late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I in Columbus, Ohio on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. As public opinion and policy continues to shift in the U.S. and across the world towards the use of marijuana, some adherents of Rastafari question their place in the future of the herb that they consider sacred.
Ras Todd, left, and Ital chef Ras Mo close their eyes in prayer during a ritual moment at an event organized by the Columbus, Ohio-based Rastafari Coalition marking the 91st anniversary of the coronation of the late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio. The coronation day event also included chanting, traditional nyabinghi drumming and the reading of psalms.
Jahdarah Mahan, left, and another member of the Rastafari community play musical instruments at an event organized by the non-profit Rastafari Coalition that marked the 91st anniversary of the coronation of the late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio.
Mosiyah Tafari of the nonprofit Rastafari Coalition holds a medallion with the image of the late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I, who is worshipped by followers of the Rastafari faith, on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. The Rastafari Coalition celebrated the 91st anniversary of the coronation of the late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio.
Paul Gentles, a Jamaican artist and member of the Rastafari faith, uses cornmeal to decorate an offering of fruits and flowers during a drumming circle at Brooklyn’s Prospect Park on Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021. As public opinion and policy continues to shift across the world toward the medicinal and recreational use of cannabis, some Rastafari adherents are questioning their place in the legal market of the herb that they consider sacred.
Ras Nyah, left, a Rastafari adherent from the U.S. Virgin Islands, watches musician Milton Blake perform a song about legalizing marijuana, which Rastafari followers believe brings them closer to the divine, on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio.
By LUIS ANDRES HENAO and KWASI GYAMFI ASIEDU – Associated Press
The ceremony in Columbus, Ohio marked the 91st anniversary of the coronation of the late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I, whom Rastafari worship as their savior. For hours, the group played traditional Nyabinghi music on their most important holy day.
“Cannabis is something that puts you in contact with the spiritual aspect of life in the physical body,” said Tafari, a member of the Columbus-based Rastafari Coalition, which organized the event.
“It’s important for Rastafari because we follow the traditions of the Scriptures and we see that cannabis is good.”
For Rastafari, the ritualistic smoking of marijuana brings them closer to the divine. But for decades, many have been incarcerated because of their use of cannabis. As public opinion and policy continues to shift in the U.S. and across the world toward legalization of the drug for both medical and recreational purposes, Rastafari are clamoring for broader relaxation to curtail persecution and ensure freedom of worship.
“In this system, they’re very focused on, ‘Oh, we can make a lot of money, we can sell these medicinal cards, we can sell this ganja,’ but what of the people who have been persecuted? What of the people who have been sent to jail, imprisoned, even killed,” said Ras Nyah, a music producer from the U.S. Virgin Islands and a Rastafari Coalition member.
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