Indopedia All Things Marijuana
They might call cannabis by a different name in South Africa, but best believe that advocates in the African nation are persistent about getting “dagga” decriminalized.
Last weekend, the Western Cape province High Court ruled that sections of the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act, 1992— particularly regarding personal use of cannabis inside of the home— are unconstitutional and should not be enforced. However, the court’s decision still has to be approved by parliament and the constitutional court.
Although this judicial process can take up to two years, local advocates consider the verdict to be small step towards decriminalization. For now, the adjudication will only pertain to this particular province, which is the fourth largest out of the nine in South Africa, and also where the city of Cape Town is located.
According to local pro-cannabis activist Julian Stobbs, users will “now have a loophole in the law” allowing them to argue that no criminal activity or harm has transpired when using cannabis within the privacy of their own home.
Back in 2010, Stobbs was arrested after police raided his home and charged him with marijuana possession. As a…
