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Activists want public consultation on Cannabis Bill extended

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It may be some time before new laws regulating the growing of marijuana for private consumption are finalised. A public consultative process has been under way for the past three months. However, cannabis activists want this period to be extended.

The parliamentary committee dealing with the proposed legislation has indicated that it is too limited.

Following a landmark Constitutional Court ruling in 2018, it is not a criminal offence for an adult citizen to use, possess, or grow cannabis in private for personal consumption. The apex court gave parliament 24 months to bring the ruling in line with laws.

In August, Cabinet approved the Cannabis for Private Purpose Bill and submitted it to parliament for a public consultation process. That process is now drawing to a close, but parliament says more work still has to be done.

The economic benefit of cannabis:

Cannabis bill

Chairperson of Portfolio Committee for Justice and Correctional Services, Bulelani Magwanishe says, “There are various views on this issue. One issue is that we might need to relook the issue of how do we process that cannabis bill as a whole because there is a view that also seeks to say the bill currently as it stands is very narrow. You need a bill that is going to deal with issues of cultivation, health issues, the issues of agriculture, trade and industry. How do we create an industry out of cannabis.”

The initial cut-off date for the consultation process was the end of October, but it was extended by another month. But cannabis activists say the consultative process did not reach all interested parties or stakeholders. They say as a result the proposed legislation may benefit, what they call, the wrong people.

Daughter of Zion’s Sister Molebogeng says the government needs to be open. “Our government needs to be open. It needs to be very considerate of the indigenous  communities, Rastafari communities that have over the years from the apartheid era, even until this democratic era, have always been open to saying this herb was created by the almighty and it has health properties that have assisted in many ailments.”

It appears the process of legalising cannabis could be prolonged and the Constitutional Court deadline not be met.

Once finalised, the legal market is expected to capture a sizeable percentage of global cannabis sales. Countries like the United States and Canada are already making billions from selling legal recreational cannabis.

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