Dagga: an open conversation of its legalisation
"Criminalising and stigmatising the cannabis user for whatever reason is no longer an option. It is not a matter of flower power."
People who had pressing questions about the value of cannabis for human health but were afraid to ask, were given the opportunity to address their issues on Saturday, 25 November at Maropeng, in the second part of the Thinking Aloud series.
Maropeng hosted a large audience, with this provocative subject addressed by South African experts at an emotionally-charged morning with leading speakers on cannabis, its benefits and the myths and facts that surround this plant.
Photo: Ryan Enslin
Dr Marlon Germon, a medical practitioner and one of the keynote speakers, attended a convention earlier this year and addressed more than a thousand members of the medical fraternity, positioning himself as a champion of science. He provided objective knowledge about cannabis to the medical profession and lay-people. His favourite subject was the discussion around whether cannabis is a gateway ‘drug’ to sickness, or a portal to health.
Several other speakers also voiced their opinions about cannabis on that day.
Myrtle Clarke and Julian Stobbs, who have become known as ‘The Dagga Couple’ and are the founders of Fields of Green for All, shared their own private ‘dagga’ journey. They have made aggressive court bids to change South African laws concerning cannabis. Their journey and research have made them authorities on the use of the plant, and their case has been followed by millions around the world.
“Criminalising and stigmatising the cannabis-user for whatever reason is no longer an option.
It is not a matter of flower-power,” said Clarke. “A plant which is used responsibly throughout the globe is impossible to ignore and it has growing economic relevance.”
Photo: Ryan Enslin
Stobbs was adamant in saying, “All citizens need to benefit from the economic, social and health potential of legal cannabis in Africa. An average of 90 000 arrests are currently made for cannabis use per year in South Africa. That has to stop.”
The August launch of Thinking Aloud saw fascinating discourses by Vincent Carruthers, Simon Gear and Andre Wedepohl at a sold-out event. The Thinking Aloud series aims to educate, inspire and provoke debate to spark positive change.
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