South Africans are high on the Constitutional Court ruling that dagga be decriminalised.
Social media has been going geroek with mense passing on marijuana memes.
This week, Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo upheld a previous “High” Court ruling that zol be unbanned.
The court had found that the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act infringed on people’s rights to privacy.
The judgement means roekers will be allowed to smoke and grow their own at home - how many grams of ganja is yet to be determined.
However, those caught selling, and smoking in public, will still be arrested.
Parliament now has 24 months to get the law in line with this landmark ruling.
So, how do YOU feel about this?
Munier has mixed feelings - about the legal, commercial and social implications.
In terms of the law, there are positives.
Narcotics police could now focus their efforts on the hard drugs market.
We need cops busting tik, heroin, cocaine and mandrax merchants - and their customers.
They are the ones fuelling the gang turf violence, and turning our children into mindless robbers and killers.
Let’s face it, you won’t find a daggakop breaking into his neighbours’ house and killing them for their cellphones.
No, they’d be rather be lamming on the couch, feeling mellow, listening to music, watching movies and munching on peanut butter sandwiches.
Consequently, the ruling will also impact our already stretched prison system.
By legalising dagga, convicts or awaiting-trial prisoners who had been bust with a few stoppe at home can make way for other bandiete.
Unbanning weed also paves the way for new business opportunities.
There are several useful and non-intoxicating products that could make its way onto the shelves, should the plant be commercialised.
Cannabis oil has proven to be an effective medicine in the treatment of various ailments such as pain, cancer, epilepsy, anxiety, depression and eating disorders.
Hemp (not to be confused with “shirt”) is a variety of the plant that grows super-fast and is spun to produce strong fabrics used in making rope, clothes and bags.
The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said it was developing a new regulatory framework for hemp, and has already requested the departments of Health and Justice and Constitutional Development to consider legislative amendments.
See? There are plenty of legal and commercial benefits.
But it’s the social debate where things go to pot.
While legalising the holy herb is good news for Rastafarians and their spiritual rituals, other religious groups are not feeling too irie about it.
The Christian View Network condemned the judgement, arguing that “dagga is proven to be addictive, to drastically reduce intelligence and increase road accidents”.
It is a gateway to other drugs, dropping out of school and harms work productivity, they warned.
True, being geroek does make people goofy and lazy.
But what the ruling is saying is - you can get stoned at home. Not at work or in public places.
Eish, Munier is on the fence here. Legalising and commercialising it can work.
But should government be condoning smoking dagga? Here in South Africa?
Where mense can’t handle their liquor?
Where parents dump their kids to go out and jol?
Where government is already trying to crack down on smoking tobacco?
No. Maybe in Dutch coffee shops, but not here.
Sad to say, but our people are not educated or responsible enough to be given these kind of Constitutional freedoms.
And our boys in blue - they will have to be responsible for policing the green laws.