Just two weeks before California’s historic vote goes before the people, Ziggy Marley releases his latest song, a pro-hemp/marijuana anthem entitled, A Fire Burns For Freedom. This song will be offered as a free download for listeners, as part of a larger set of free downloads, called the Wild and Free Singles, offered by the Reggae star and his record label, Tuff Gong Worldwide.

The Wild and Free Singles, available at www.ziggymarley.com, are a collection of free downloads which not only describes the free download of the song, but also what Ziggy believes should be the natural state of marijuana and its related plant hemp.

Ziggy is quoted in a release as saying, “we need to enlighten people about the multiple uses the plant has beyond its recreational, spiritual and medicinal uses. This plant in both its forms, hemp and marijuana, is a gift from nature to us. It has medicinal value, environmental value, nutritional value, as well as energy value. The seeds of the plant could cheaply provide nutrition for malnourished children all over the world. We should free the plant in all aspects of its uses.”

In the song, he goes further to make his point, “Denied the tree of life, sold us your lies, this damned hypocrisy costs so many lives.”

Ziggy Marley is a five-time Grammy winner and reggae icon, whose early immersion in music came at age ten when he sat in on recording sessions with his father. Then, as front man to Ziggy Marley and The Melody Makers, Marley released eight best-selling albums, generating three Grammys, with such chart-topping hits as Tomorrow People and Tumbling Down. Marley’s solo debut, Dragonfly, was released in 2003. His second solo release, Love Is My Religion, which was released on his own record label, Tuff Gong Worldwide, won a Grammy to much critical acclaim in 2006. His third solo release, Family Time, also on his own label, scored him his fifth Grammy. His next album, slated for release in the summer of 2011, is tentatively entitled Wild and Free.

“A Fire Burns For Freedom” is the second song released in his Wild and Free Series, and comes on the heels of his first release, Africa Land, which supported another historic moment: Africa’s hosting of the 2010 World Cup for the first time

Proposition 19 goes to the California ballot on November 2, 2010, and would allow persons 21 and older to possess, cultivate, or transport marijuana for personal use. It would also open the door to the state’s taxation of marijuana, and could possibly provide much needed revenue for the state of California.