Is Smoking Dagga Legal in Sa

Although possession is decriminalized, it is not uncommon for police to target and even arrest people transporting cannabis. Decriminalization is not the same as legal. Although there is no law regulating dagga, and never a reason to arrest someone with the plant, the police abuse this by targeting anyone they find with dagga. The focus has been on artisanal producers, who are the linchpin of our future industry. Innovation and community participation will be developed through artisanal producers. By stopping this population group, the state harms young industry where it hurts the most. We need written laws, policies and regulations to protect those who engage in cannabis cultivation and allow them to do so with transparency and freedom, without fear or uncertainty. Join The Green Network to help us change the law and get words written on paper (laws and regulations) to protect the South African cannabis industry. We repeat: there is no reason to arrest anyone for cannabis! Please rate our project #StopTheCops. Under the Patents Act, any invention that is new, involves an inventive step and that can be used or applied in commerce, industry or agriculture may be patentable in South Africa. Following the limited legalization of cannabis in 2018, medical and non-medical formulations and indications of cannabis products or even genetically modified cannabis may be eligible for patent, plant variety and/or copyright protection, provided the necessary requirements are met. Cannabis was completely criminalized in South Africa in 1928 under the Medicine, Dental and Pharmacy Act for political and moral reasons. [5] [16] In 1937, the South African government introduced the Weeds Act, which held the occupant or owner of a property responsible for preventing the cultivation of cannabis or another plant classified as a “weed” on the property.

[11] Concerns about the extent of dagga use in South Africa continued to grow, eventually leading to the passage of the Addictive Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation Centres Act in 1971. [14] Under the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act of 1992, those found in possession of more than 115 grams of dagga were convicted of trafficking. However, following the adoption of South Africa`s transitional constitution, the courts found that this unjustifiably violated the constitutional presumption of innocence and therefore invalidated these parts of the law. [17] Help us change this by supporting our movement by joining the Green Network or by donating and signing the legalization petition. In 1990, a coalition of civil society organizations successfully lobbied the government of the former province of Natal to ban the herbicide paraquat from the air. The South African Police Service (SAPS) now uses a herbicide formulation containing glyphosate, saying it is safe and poses “no threat to human, animal or environmental health”. However, a new coalition of nonprofits Fields of Green For All and Amapondo Children`s Project filed a lawsuit in 2016 to prevent SAPS from carrying out aerial exterminations. [20] [21] The Cape and Transvaal colonies restricted the growth of the plant, which they considered a “noxious weed”; [13] In 1891, the Cape Colony banned cannabis under Bill 34, and the Free State banned the cannabis trade in 1903. [14] In 1908, Natal began regulating the sale of cannabis. [11] In the Transvaal, Dagga was sold “openly and normally” by traders to minors.

[13] The law does not yet consider Dagga to be a medicine. Anyone can make medicine from Dagga, but the police always take out any plants they find and arrest anyone they find with the equipment needed to make the medicine. Since 2000, Cape Town and other cities have held an annual cannabis legalization march on the first Saturday in May as part of the Global Marijuana March and the NORML initiative. [31] The recent decision on the decriminalization of cannabis in South Africa has created a wave of individuals and businesses seeking to create private clubs for the cultivation, trade, and consumption of various products. This is a grey area that poses a significant risk to both law enforcement and criminals due to the current lack of formalities or regulations in this emerging sector. So we`ve spent the last decade attending local and international drug policy events in anticipation of the growing pains that the South African cannabis environment is sure to experience.