Attorney at law Bert Samuels has pointed out that Jamaica has observed and protected the rights of Rastafarians for several decades, a marked change from past atrocities meted out against members of the faith.

He concurred with Culture Minister Olivia Grange that the Jamaican Constitution, through the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms, long established the Rasta faith as a recognised religion.

Samuels was reacting to claims by the St. Kitts and Nevis government about taking historic and transformative steps to recognize the Rastafarian faith within the legal framework of the federation, becoming the first country in the Caribbean to do so.

Both Grange and Samules have refuted that claim.

Samuels noted that he has represented Rastafarians in discrimination cases, particularly in relation to their locked hair.

The court ruled in the Rastafarians favour 

He also pointed to the significant step taken by Jamaica to recognise the Rastafarians use of ganja as a religious sacrament.

The lawyer also went to court on behalf of Rastafarians who had been denied access to schools.

Samuels added that another aspect of the recognition is the lobbying for repatriation of Rastafarians.