He lit up a joint on national TV.
In an interview on the SABC news channel, programme anchor Annine Dormehl was speaking to two guests, including Du Plessis, about the legalisation of the drug in South Africa, after the Cape Town Cannabis 2015 march on Saturday.
As Dormehl was speaking to the second guest, David Bayever (deputy chairman of the Central Drug Authority), Du Plessis, who was in Durban during the long distance interview, started smoking dagga on screen.
He gave several more comments while smoking the joint, then walked off the set.
In the same light, last week, actor Morgan Freeman said “pot is very useful.”
Freeman is allegedly a long time user who also called for the legalisation of weed.
He was in a car accident seven years ago, and is still plagued by pain caused by the accident, but finds relief when using dagga.
In a global study done with more than 78 000 participants in 2013, the Global Drug Survey found that weed is the most widely used illegal drug, while placing third as most widely used drug, behind tobacco (second) and alcohol (first).
Many believe the legalisation of weed will lead to a sharp increase in abuse among teenagers, as it might send a message to children that drug use is acceptable. which is a major concern in many countries.
In some countries the laws that prohibit drugs are so strict, execution is a risk when caught with cannabis, particularly in South East Asia and the Middle East.
There are strong supporters and arguments on both sides of the debate, and many include looking at other countries as examples.
One example where it is, and has been legal for quite some time, is the Netherlands.
This tiny, low-lying country allows the drug to be consumed in specific venues called coffee shops, which need a licence to sell small quantities of it.
Although this has caused friction between the Dutch and some of their European neighbours, many propose it is responsible for a large portion of the tourism the country attracts.
Whether or not it is the moral thing to do, is up to each person individually, as everyone has their own specific moral compass, but in a real world with real problems, there is not always space for idealism.
In this case it is hard for the layperson to determine accurately how the legalisation of dagga will affect South Africa, but before deciding to enforce or change a law based simply on feelings, politicians should conduct proper research to determine what would be the best course of action for the country. FvD
