Calls for cannabis reform echoed outside the St. John’s Police Station on Saturday as members of Antigua and Barbuda’s Rastafarian community staged a peaceful protest against the continued imprisonment of people for marijuana-related offences.

Wearing white and carrying Rastafarian flags, demonstrators urged authorities to take a different approach to minor cannabis offences, arguing that current enforcement practices are out of step with ongoing discussions about drug law reform.

Protesters said some individuals remain incarcerated for marijuana offences despite growing support across the Caribbean for decriminalization and greater recognition of cannabis’ religious and cultural significance within the Rastafarian faith.

The group also appealed for a review of existing laws, maintaining that imprisonment should not be the primary response to minor marijuana-related offences. Organizers described the demonstration as part of a broader campaign for legal reform and greater recognition of Rastafarian rights in Antigua and Barbuda.