There are situations where a practice or substance is illegal, but due to its popularity the authorities seem to turn a blind eye most of the time.

Such seems to be the case of obeah which, as THE WEKEND STAR reported last Friday, has spread from backyards and bushes into official stores, where the various powders and oils are very much available. The practice of obeah is still illegal and, obviously, there is no other use for the potions but to perform obeah rituals.

Still, as was reported, people not only do their shopping in person at the stores in MoBay and Kingston, but also leave prescriptions (which are certainly not written up by the family doctor) for the items to be collected after. And one store even has a delivery service.

This situation and the apparent blind eye which the police turn to it remind us of the stance on marijuana at large concerts, as well as in certain areas, where it is sold openly. It is still illegal, but the authorities often choose to ignore what is happening, save for a token arrest here and there.

The same also applies to prostitution.

It may be that the demand for the items and the number of persons involved is so high that the police realise they would be starting an unending cycle of arrests that would simply clog up an already overburdened court system. Or it may be that, in the case of obeah, the beliefs are so deeply held that the authorities realise it would be futile to take action.

Whatever the underlying reason, obeah is now very much in the open and there is very little that can be done to push it back into the bushes.