Watch: Boksburg has its say about the legalisation of dagga in the country
Parliament will still decide on the quantity of cannabis an adult may use, possess or cultivate in order for it to amount to “personal use”.
History was made on September 18 when the Constitutional Court handed down a ruling which decriminalises the use of dagga by adults in private spaces.
Parliament now has 24 months to officially write this bill into law.
The High Court suspended the order of invalidity for a period of 24 months to give Parliament the opportunity to cure the constitutional defects in the statutory provisions concerned.
In the unanimous ruling, Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo ruled certain sections of the Medicines Control Act and Drug Trafficking Act are not in line with the Constitution.
Victory for SA Cannabis Society
Boksburg North resident Gareth Picton, founder of the SA Cannabis Society, expressed his excitement about yesterday’s ruling, saying September 18 in future will be National Cannabis Day.
“It’s been a long road leading to the lift of the prohibition of cannabis. Cannabis studies worldwide have shown remarkable results in curing and combating a list of diseases. Also, social studies have shown positive outcomes together with various physiological studies in which various myths are dismissed.
“We are glad the cannabis community will finally be left alone by SAPS members and our right to privacy and to heal ourselves will finally be respected.
“We have been finally recognised as a community. This will also assist in uprooting unscrupulous dealers and oil makers as they have been thriving under prohibition.”
Picton said for years they have been labelled and oppressed now finally those people will see they are not different from them.
“We are functional members of society and often more sociable and forthcoming than most people out there.
“We now hope criminal records of those who have been arrested will be rescinded so it will not affect or follow them through life.
“We also hope for laws around the medicinal use of cannabis will be looked at and outcomes expedited so South Africans can start using these forms of medicine legally.
“Also, this will allow companies such as my own (Keystone Pharmaceuticals) to advance in more research into this wonderful plant.”
Picton thanked Gareth Prince and Jeremy Acton, the dagga couple, and all others cannabis activist who walked this road with them.
Boksburg residents express their views:
Alida Myburgh: “I am totally against the verdict because it will have a negative effect, especially on young people. People will tend to get addicted to the drug which will affect their personality and behaviour. About the cannabis products curing sickness, for me, I don’t think it’s true.”
Corné Rautenbach: “Crime will certainly pick up because the use of drugs affects people’s minds.”
Kyle Rose: “Well, we are happy about the verdict but people should be responsible because it is a very addictive drug.”
Leverge Samuels: “I’m happy we have been given permission to smoke dagga in our own private spaces. There’s nothing wrong with dagga. The great part is that it is used for medical purposes.”
Dez Baker: “I am not sure how I feel about the verdict, but what I know is that young people will abuse it and will start to disrespect their elders. Substance abuse in our area is a big problem.”
According to Pastor Stephen du Plessis, who runs New Beginnings, it wasn’t the wisest move the Constitutional Court made to legalise dagga because it will lead users to become addicted to other drugs.
“Drugs affect the mindset of a person and some people use drugs to forget their problems and not deal with them.
“According to biblical principals, we as pastors should submit to the laws of the country but should continue to pray for positive results in our country.
“The Bible says the body of a person is the temple of the Lord. We shouldn’t let our bodies be dirty by engaging ourselves in unrighteous activities,” du Plessis said.
Clinical psychologist Pauline Mawson highlighted the dangers of smoking dagga of which she said the drug can trigger mental health issues.
“It can trigger depression, mania, as well as psychosis.
“It has an impact on an individual’s mood, their ability to regulate their own emotions, as well as possibly causing hallucinations and paranoia in some individuals.
“We don’t know why some develop these symptoms and others don’t. It can also contribute towards cognitive decline and relationship issues,” Mawson said.
Some of the reactions on social media:
8:00 AM
[Weed/ #Dagga is legalized in South Africa]2:00 PM
[😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂] pic.twitter.com/A58Ky9Edd6— Engineer Faisal (@PyeparFaisal) September 18, 2018
After smoking #Dagga 👇 pic.twitter.com/dQo18qDqZp
— Jay Series (@JohnState4Real) September 18, 2018
#dagga weed has taken over Mzansi already pic.twitter.com/9qdnSMJrU8
— Tevin motion 🇿🇦 (@tev_on_motion) September 18, 2018
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