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T is one of pop music’s iconic album jackets — Peter Tosh sitting in a ganja field in his native Westmoreland for the defiant Legalize It album, released in 1976 by Columbia Records.
This year marks the 45th year since Tosh’s death but his message of black awareness and advocacy for decriminalisation of ganja remain resonant.
Today the world celebrates 4/20 and International Peter Tosh Day. His family honours his passion for all things ganja at The Anderson, a venue in Miami.
The Peter Tosh Foundation, through its ‘Legalize It Initiative’, will be staging a fund-raiser to help “change the stigma around cannabis and support the continued efforts towards legalisation”, according to Niambe Tosh, the singer-songwriter’s daughter.
She said International Peter Tosh Day has grown since it was first celebrated in 2015.
“It started off as just an idea and has grown to the point where we have fan participation on every livable continent. This year, we even have some fans of the legacy hosting a celebration in Tokyo, Japan, and we aim to have this concept continue to grow,” Niambe Tosh told the Jamaica Observer.