Two young men arrested for cannabis possesion

Centane police have arrested two men, aged 18 and 20, for possession of a large amount of cannabis, Eastern Cape police said on Sunday.

Both suspects were arrested at about midninght at Nxaxho village, Centane, Captain Jackson Manatha said.

“Police acted on their intelligence that the suspects were in possession of dagga. The dagga has weight of 1,092kg with a street value of R1100,00. The two suspects have been charged with possession of dagga. They will appear before the Centane Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 27 August 2018,” he said.

While cannabis is illegal in South Africa, a High Court judgement by Dennis Davis gave the South African government a period of two years from the date of the judgment to bring the existing laws concerning cannabis in line with provisions in the South African constitution.

READ MORE: Cannabis compound found to remove toxic Alzheimer’s protein from the brain

While some are against the substance, others argue that it is relatively harmless, more so than certain legal substances such as alcohol and tobacco.

Others have argued that the substance is a vital source of income for some people in rural areas, and that legalising it, if done properly, could result in money for the state.

Only one permit to legally grow cannabis is known to exist in South Africa. It is held by Dr Thandeka Kunene of House of Hemp.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android