Calls for the legalisation of dagga louder than ever
An article published by The Gazette on the arrest of a suspected drug dealer caught in the possession of cannabis caused a bit of an uproar on social media with readers calling for the legalisation of cannabis.Facebook user Chris Psykat was one of more than 250 people who commented on the story in support of legalising the “holy herb”.He said, “Prohibition does not work, there will always be a demand for cannabis, whether it be for medical or recreational use… Treating people as criminals for using and cultivating this plant is wrong.“It is due to prohibition that we have to buy cannabis from ‘drug dealers’, I would prefer to buy it from a licensed vendor like a pharmacy, like they do in the states.”Many other calls for the legalisation of cannabis were attributed to the medicinal effects of the plant.Earlier this year, Member of Parliament Mario Oriani-Ambrosini, raised the issues around the use of cannabinoids and the treatment of cancer patients. He also submitted a private member’s bill to Parliament called the Medical Innovation Bill. This after the MP was diagnosed with stage four, inoperable lung cancer.The purpose of the bill is to make provision for innovation in medical treatment and to legalise the use of cannabinoids for medical purposes and beneficial commercial and industrial uses.The bill is currently under discussion by the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Cancer.Although still illegal in South Africa, Oriani-Ambrosini admitted to Parliament that he uses the drug to manage chronic pain related to his late-stage lung cancer.Head of marketing for the Cancer Association of South Africa (Cansa), Lucy Balona said because it is still an illegal substance in South Africa, the organisation could not support the use of cannabis in any form.“Smoking is also dangerous to health – whether one speaks of tobacco products or cannabis. It is still not clear whether the health risks associated with the use of cannabis outweigh the benefits thereof,” she said in a statement.“Cansa supports the World Health Organisation in its guidelines for the control of cancer pain. To this end Cansa believes that there are medicines available for the control of pain.”
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Calls for the legalisation of dagga louder than ever
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Social media uproar after Rosebank dagga dealer bust. …read more
