Four caught ‘red-handed’ selling weed to students: What to know about new cannabis law

While the Cannabis for Private Purposes Act (CfPPA) allows for personal use and cultivation, selling cannabis remains a criminal offence.

The Intervention Unit from Parkweg Police Station arrested four men for selling drugs to students in Universitas, Bloemfontein, on Tuesday.

The suspects, aged between 20 and 30, were caught with dagga and cash worth R20,000.

They face charges of dealing in dagga and will appear in court soon.

“On the morning of 11 June 2024, the team observed two men sitting outside and two inside a house busy selling drugs. They pounced upon them and arrested four men,” said Captain Loraine Earle.

Selling cannabis is prohibited

This incident comes on the heels of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s signing of the Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill, which allows adults to cultivate and possess cannabis for personal use.

However, the signing of this bill does not equate to free reign and permission to sell cannabis without a license.

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The bill, signed into law on 28 May this year, aims to decriminalize the possession and cultivation of cannabis for personal use, while still regulating its use and sale.

According to the Presidency, the consequent regulatory reform enabled by the CfPPA will, amongst others, entirely remove cannabis from the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act.

“This will further enable amendment of the Schedules to the Medicines and Related Substances Act and provide for targeted regulatory reform of the Plant Breeders Rights Act and the Plant Improvement Act, as well as other pieces of legislation that require amendment to allow for the industrialisation of the cannabis sector.

The Bill further guides the medically prescribed administration of cannabis to a child while also protecting children from undue exposure to cannabis. It provides for an alternative manner by which to address the issue of the prohibited use, possession of, or dealing in, cannabis by children, with due regard to the best interest of the child. It also prohibits the dealing in cannabis.”

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Key aspects of the Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill include:

• Adults (18 years and older) can possess up to 100 grams of cannabis.
• Adults can grow up to six cannabis plants per household, with a maximum of 12 plants per property.
• Cannabis use is prohibited in public places, schools, and workplaces.
• Selling cannabis remains illegal, except for licensed retailers.
• Minors (under 18) are prohibited from possessing or using cannabis.

The bill also establishes a regulatory framework for the cultivation, processing, and sale of cannabis, which will be managed by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA).

In this case, the four arrested men contravened the bill by dealing weed to students, which is a violation of the law.

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