One of Peter Tosh's favorite names for himself was undoubtedly "Bush Doctor", because that was what he was and what he practiced -bush medicine. Tosh would run to his kitchen or backyard garden to get the right bush to solve any ailment that cropped up from time to time. He also always took along lots of herbs and bushes whenever he travelled and that was a constant cause of problems for him at international airports. In particular, Peter never tired of promoting the spiritual, botanical and commercial properties of the International Herb called marijuana/cannabis, because as he loved to emphasize, "Jah created it for the motivation of the mind of man." Everywhere he travelled all over the world, Peter saw the International Herb and herbalists being penalized, and so his number one priority became the legalization of the so-called "Wisdom Weed". Probably his most famous recording was "Legalize It!", which was immortalized in Jamaica when the government banned the single in 1975. For most of the younger modern-day urban Rastas, music, Herb and ball -football/soccer- had always gone together. Anywhere you found any one of these, you'd be almost sure to find the other two as well, so this classic pro-marijuana track found widespread support among the Rootz/Rasta community in Jamaica. When Columbia released his first solo album also entitled "Legalize It!" in 1976, his worldwide crusade to free the Herb was underway in earnest.

Peter advocated the use of Herb to such an extent that he was virtually a "walking billboard" for the much maligned weed, and his love and use of the Herb is legendary. He was almost never without a spliff or his pipe, whether at home, driving in his car, or performing live on stage. His historic speech at the One Love/Peace Concert in 1978 was certainly the stuff legends are made of. Peter lectured Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley, Opposition Leader Edward Seaga and the Minister of National Security about the need to revise the oppressive anti-ganja laws and blasted the police for their harsh treatment of citizens found with the banned vegetable matter. When he lit a spliff on stage and advocated the legalizing of ganja, the crowd in the National Stadium roared its approval and support. His words and action succeeded in upstaging the star of the show -Bob Marley- and even though Bob's bringing together of Manley and Seaga was the photo-op of a lifetime, it was Peter's speech which was the talk of the town in Jamaica for the next few months.

A few years later Peter was detained by Jamaican police for possession of a spliff in public. Taken to Half Way Tree police station, the tallest Wailer was beaten mercilessly for almost an hour by more than half-a-dozen of the roughest policemen in the business, policemen who were still irate at him for his tongue-lashing of "their" Prime Minister at the Peace Concert. The cops didn't stop until they thought he was dead, and although he wasn't, he did have cracked ribs, a broken arm and a fractured skull. And still Peter refused to bow to the Babylon "shitstem" and it's Queendom. As the greatest herbalist/verbalist in the history of Reggae, Tosh the Bush Doctor maintained his role as the leading spokesman for and advocate of the legalizing of the International Herb -marijuana/grass/ganja. Right up to the time of his murder on September 11, 1987, Peter lived up to his notorious reputation as Reggae's most fearless, outspoken, eloquent, intense and humerous advocate of marijuana legalization and equal rights and justice. Since then, most Reggae radio jocks seem to have thrown away his music and forgotten that he ever existed. Give thanks for Lucky Dube, Gramps from Morgan Heritage, Anthony B and of course Andrew Tosh, who all have the Peter Tosh sound when they want to and give him his props regularly.

Also give thanks that as the 20th century came to a close, there was a sudden unexpected revival in interest about the life, music and deeds of this founding Wailer. First there was the "Honorary Citizen" Peter Tosh box set in early 1998. Then in late 1999 came the Columbia/Legacy reissue of Tosh's first two albums, "Legalize It" and "Equal Rights", as well as a "The Best of Peter Tosh" CD, all complete with bonus tracks not included on the originals. Although the lousy marketing or rather, lack of real marketing by Columbia/Legacy remains a big mystery, all these new releases and the renewed interest in the "Stepping Razor", was welcomed by his many loyal fans everywhere. Mainstream attention to Peter Tosh peaked in early fall 1999, when VH-1 broadcast a "Behind The Music" Peter Tosh special on cable TV. This was the first time the general public was seeing and hearing Peter again since viewing "Red X: Stepping Razor", the award-winning documentary film about Tosh produced by KROQ's Wayne Jobson. Fans are praying that this kind of interest in and attention to Peter Tosh becomes a trend that will continue on into and beyond 2000, as this Radix Wailer had a bag full of important messages which the world still needs to come to terms with.

Despite an almost studied lack of attention from the mass media, this Reggae Revolutionary who was once described as "Che Guevara with a band", is undoubtedly a planetary personality who is the next best known Reggae performer to Bob Marley all over the globe. Peter's reputation as an uncompromising Third World icon and advocate, continues to grow as his strong consciousness-raising and conscience-stirring songs of protest continue to inspire millions of people to maintain the fight to "Legalize It!" and to keep up the fight for "Equal Rights and Justice".