A highly respected local councillor confirmed rumours that Johannesburg will be one of the first cities to legalise the use of medical marijuana or dagga.
In an exclusive interview with the Record, with the backing of a member of parliament (MP), he said the first step will be to legalise the use of medicinal dagga in state hospitals. As early as January 2017 legislation will be passed to allow staff in state hospitals, including those on the West Rand, to administer dagga for medicinal purposes.
“This greatly will impact cancer patients who are undergoing chemotherapy. Those who suffer from other dread diseases also will be able to get relief through the medicinal herb legally,” the councillor said.
He elaborated that tests performed at Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital in Parktown showed it relieved nausea in subjects who had just undergone chemotherapy. He said the Department of Health had been experimenting with medicinal dagga in the hospital since April 2015. This is only the first step in legalising the use of dagga in the City of Johannesburg, then in Gauteng and then in the entire country, he believes. According to documentation the councillor has gathered during his own investigation into the matter – which he presented to the Record – tested and approved marijuana products will make their way to local pharmacies’ shelves as early as 2020. The councillor’s reason for going public with the information, he said, is to spark community engagement in the matter.
He begged the question, “We all know about the issues Roodepoort and Florida Police are facing to control the public use and sale of illegal drugs; what would become of us if it were legal?”
It has been said that this unprecedented move to legalise medicinal dagga in the City of Johannesburg is just the first step towards legalising it for recreational use as is the case in the US.
The implications of this have not been tested yet but unofficial research in the US has shown that the positive impact by far outweighs the negative, for example law enforcers can concentrate on serious crimes, dagga users consume less alcohol, domestic violence will decrease and the booming ‘green’ business will contribute substantially to the economy.
It also has been proved that contrary to it being ‘the gateway drug’ there has been a decline in addiction to serious drugs such as heroin.
The big question is whether prudent South Africans are ready for this revolutionary decision.
Because using dagga is illegal, it can be obtained only from drug dealers who are trying to push their product to the vulnerable, the young and uninformed. However, legalising the plant for medicinal purposes is only the first step. The second step will be to roll out dagga-related products such as muffins, sweets and pastries – the so-called space cakes – to small businesses in areas designated by authorities. Shops that wish to stock these products will have to apply formally and authorities will do an extensive background check before granting the application. This is part of government’s longstanding prioritisation of small, medium and micro enterprises (SMME), which will be the catalyst to achieving economic growth and development in the country.
Medical practitioners who wish to prescribe the drug to their patients will need to apply for a licence to ensure they are regulated by government. This will ensure that only patients who are in desperate need of the drug are assisted.
However, authorities will have to negotiate with drug dealers who are threatening anarchy if they are to be robbed of their livelihood.
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