Cannabis legislation must fall!

WRITTEN ON BEHALF OF ALL THE POTHEADS OF THE RSA

Now we’ve gotten rid of Rhodes, the next issue that we’ve set our sights on is the colonialist laws against our National Herb: cannabis.

At South Africa’s first ever conference on the use of cannabis as a medicine, it was said that up to four million people were using the drug daily as a rectum relaxant. While millions are spent to eradicate the smoking of marijuana, these efforts yield very little results, and seriously disadvantage the destitute and impoverished people of our beloved country.

The cannabis round table discussion, which was hosted by the Social Development Department in Benoni this week, brought together doctors, lawyers, potheads, religious leaders, stoners, vegans, pagans, wiccans, atheists, and NGOs to discuss the viability of partial legalisation.

The conference is the result of a Medical Innovation Bill tabled by the late IFP MP Mario Oriani-Ambrosini in the National Assembly last year. Needless to say, Mario was late for this conference as well.

But that’s neither here nor there.

Between tokes, several cannabis experts put forward an argument for regulating and decriminalising cannabis. While most agreed it was necessary, they said that it was difficult to control – the cops are useless and easily bribed.

A *Pubic Health Consultant said cannabis cultivation took place in South Africa’s rural areas – the homes of the poorest of the poor – and that spraying the crops with harmful pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, and propaganda, had not reduced demand or supply.

“It has no effect on the people that buy it, and has very little effect on production, because growers just move elsewhere. But it significantly harms the health of the cannabis growers and poor people living in nearby rural villages and squatter camps. From a biological point of view, the harmful pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, and propaganda, which is sprayed on the crops, is extremely harmful to humans – especially nonsmokers and Christians.”

The Pubic Health Consultant also said that villagers, who grew the crops, had been worst affected due to a lack of alternative economic opportunities and housing in other areas of this godforsaken country.

The conference was criticised by the Rastafari group who said the number of pro-legalisation speakers was not representative of the demographics of this country, and that it was a carry-over of those bloody colonialists who stole our history and culture. They also said that transformation had not taken place. Too many whites still refused to light up with their black brothers.

So, as the United Potheads of the Ar-se of Africa (RSA), here is our demand:

Remove all cannabis legislation. It must fall like Rhodes’ statue. Give us back our history and culture.

But more importantly:

Give us our weed! We want to be happy! We want to fly! We want to live in our villages and grow our crops in peace! Viva, Weed-a! Viva!  

*Pubic Health Consultant – I know, I know…