Now, please try and keep this under wraps, don't want people insulting each other. Just thought I bring this to the attention of the masses.
2 Reports on Cannabis in South Africa That Government is Choosing to Ignore
Posted by Buzz on Dec 2nd 2013
http://www.belowthelion.co.za/2-reports-...-ignoring/
In the last month South Africa has witnessed the release of two comprehensive reports regarding Cannabis in a local context. The first to make headlines was The Anti Drug Alliance’s report titled “At what cost? The futility of the war on drugs in South Africa“.
Judging by their name you would expect the report to be all fire and brimstone, with calls for stricter enforcement and penalties. Yet it is surprisingly nothing like that.
The report takes a look at the actual financial cost of processing a successful drug conviction through our criminal justice system. Having gathered all the available numbers, contacted the applicable government departments to obtain their input and done the math, the report gives us a clear indication of what it costs to keep feeding the war on drugs in South Africa. But more importantly, it tells us how much of an impact it is making.
![[Image: police-dagga.jpg]]()
A conservative cross section was taken of all drug arrests in Gauteng over a 2 month period in 2013. Adding an interesting dynamic is that this was during a time in which our police system was running at full speed due to Government’s much publicised anti-drug campaign and LeadSA’s extensive media effort with Drug Watch.
What the numbers come down to is that 23,000 arrests for R13 million worth of drugs costs over R38 million, with a conviction rate of only 9%. Each year spent in prison for the successfully convicted costs a further R245 million. That means it costs in total nearly R300 million to keep R13 million worth of drugs off of the street. The fact that Cannabis accounted for 99% of all the drugs confiscated makes it impossible to ignore how significant the expense and failure of its prohibition is.
Shortly after followed the South African National Working Group’s 2013 Position Paper.
A monumental 222 page in-depth document that deals with all aspects of Cannabis in South Africa and the legalisation options we face. While not exactly light reading it contains insight into local information that to date has largely not been publicly published or reported on; enabling a realistic look at the feasibility of cannabis production options available to us.
In Summary it concludes that:
The gems of this document are found in its detail and if you’re up for ploughing through it, you will find some truly rare insight into Cannabis in South Africa. From local licensed medical grows to some of the innocent lives lost to police who enthusiastically enforce cannabis prohibition, this is the most comprehensive document on Cannabis’ past, present and future in South Africa.
These reports’ detailed insights into the cop shop books and the global relevance of cannabis legalisation make the cost and redundancy of South Africa’s war on drugs clear, leaving only one question: Are our local politicians still fervently stepping on the gas of the anti-dagga machine whilst asleep at the wheel?
LINK to the two reports:
https://www.daggacouple.co.za/wp-content...f-2013.pdf
https://app.box.com/s/ro3rea65fvutqdn26b2k
Another article;
Marijuana Legalization Germinates Across The Globe
Posted by Buzz on Oct 25th 2013
One brick at a time the prohibition of cannabis has started being dismantled. While a few remain sceptical, it is impossible not to see the momentum that global legalization is gaining. The USA and Uruguay are currently centre stage in the cannabis conundrum. More than half the USA has legalized marijuana in some form, mostly for medical use, and Uruguay has recently become the first country in the world to fully legalize the production and consumption of Cannabis.
![[Image: sparc-pot-dispensary-2-1.jpg]]()
Breaking the ice on full legalization and snubbing the UN Single Narcotics Convention, Uruguay is set to provide a full legal system of privately supplied and government controlled sales of cannabis to its citizens (with talks of it being readily available at 1$/gram). In an interview Uruguayan President José Mujica summed it up nicely with “I’m scared by the drug trafficking, not by the drug”. Strict laws will see that cannabis is regulated much like tobacco. Worth noting is that tax revenue generated from sales will be directed toward the prevention of hard drug use.
It will be interesting to see how Uruguay plays out as even the Pope has found it necessary to speak out against South America’s growing movement towards more lenient drug policies, he said it was “necessary to tackle the problems which are at the root of drug abuse, promoting more justice, educating the youth with the values that live in society, standing by those who face hardship and giving them hope for the future”. Yet it is hard to ignore how the War on Drugs robs people and their loved ones of hope each time a criminal record or prison sentence is dished out.
![[Image: Mujica-1.jpg]]()
Uruguay's president, José Mujica, says that by regulating Uruguay’s estimated $40 million-a-year marijuana business, the state will take it away from drug traffickers, and weaken the drug cartels. The state would also be able to keep track of all marijuana consumers in the country, and provide treatment to the most serious abusers, much like what is done with alcoholics.
Hot on Uruguay’s heels, we see the USA wrestling with the reality of the legalization of recreational cannabis use in two of its States, as well as there now being 20 legal Medical Marijuana States, and more on the way. Colorado has been the first to implement legalization, and cannabis retail stores are expected to start opening their doors on the 1st of January 2014. The US Federal Government has indicated that they will call off the hounds by allowing legitimate legal cannabis businesses to have bank accounts again, as it had long been a tactic to target the bank accounts of these businesses and strong arm the banks into closing the accounts. Often crippling the business or simply making it a lot riskier due to the now multibillion dollar “cash only” trade. The US Department of Justice is causing bigger waves though, in saying that it will not challenge the Washington or Colorado State laws, giving these States the freedom to cultivate the trade, taxation and regulation of legal recreational cannabis. However, what the Feds say and what the Feds do have often been two different things, but they appear to earnestly be letting the legalization of cannabis take its first small steps. The rest of the world watching with bated breath, as their own local cannabis policies are likely to be influenced by that of the US.
![[Image: gallup-poll-marijuana-legalization.png]]()
Meanwhile, halfway across the world, Israel is making its own progress in the research and medical application of cannabis. Israel has the world’s highest proportion of registered medical marijuana users. Leaving nothing to chance, the program has been under tight control by the Health Ministry. Now, Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, is set to vote on a bill that would allow private physicians to prescribe cannabis for their patients. Their efforts are paying off and some promising results are being seen on the medical front, backing some of the many long made claims of cannabis’ medical and therapeutic applications.
Even throughout the rest of the world, countries are slowly relaxing their laws; the most recent being Jamaica. In Europe, Switzerland recently joined Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, The Netherlands, and Spain as the ever-growing coalition of European nations who have decriminalized cannabis. Portugal, on the other hand, took it to the next level and in 2001 became the first nation on the planet to completely decriminalize all drugs, which has proved to be a great success. Portugal’s addiction rate has halved in 10 years, and their drug use rates are now among the lowest of EU member states.
There’s no denying that, internationally, politicians are realizing that the resources required to crack down on every bankie is not only an enormous waste of taxpayers money, but it’s a fast-track way of losing the drug war.
The scene however remains pretty bleak here in South Africa. Our political system is stumbling with many government fundamentals, to such an extent that cannabis legalisation isn’t even a blip on the radar. The Country’s hope tank is running on low as local crime statistics knock on record levels and high inflation takes its toll. Perhaps it will be our own growing necessity which leads to the sufficient tolerance of cannabis, enough to take some weight off of the cop’s shoulders and begin grappling with the pros and cons of legalizing dagga.
For us and much of the world this may well be the beginning of the final act on cannabis prohibition. It’s been a long road already and it will take years till we can close the final curtain on global cannabis prohibition. However, the if’s and when’s of legalising cannabis now seem inconsequential as legal cannabis starts to germinate across the globe to a growing new chorus of “How do we regulate it?”
2 Reports on Cannabis in South Africa That Government is Choosing to Ignore
Posted by Buzz on Dec 2nd 2013
http://www.belowthelion.co.za/2-reports-...-ignoring/
In the last month South Africa has witnessed the release of two comprehensive reports regarding Cannabis in a local context. The first to make headlines was The Anti Drug Alliance’s report titled “At what cost? The futility of the war on drugs in South Africa“.
Judging by their name you would expect the report to be all fire and brimstone, with calls for stricter enforcement and penalties. Yet it is surprisingly nothing like that.
The report takes a look at the actual financial cost of processing a successful drug conviction through our criminal justice system. Having gathered all the available numbers, contacted the applicable government departments to obtain their input and done the math, the report gives us a clear indication of what it costs to keep feeding the war on drugs in South Africa. But more importantly, it tells us how much of an impact it is making.
![[Image: police-dagga.jpg]](http://www.belowthelion.co.za/wp-content/uploads/police-dagga.jpg)
A conservative cross section was taken of all drug arrests in Gauteng over a 2 month period in 2013. Adding an interesting dynamic is that this was during a time in which our police system was running at full speed due to Government’s much publicised anti-drug campaign and LeadSA’s extensive media effort with Drug Watch.
What the numbers come down to is that 23,000 arrests for R13 million worth of drugs costs over R38 million, with a conviction rate of only 9%. Each year spent in prison for the successfully convicted costs a further R245 million. That means it costs in total nearly R300 million to keep R13 million worth of drugs off of the street. The fact that Cannabis accounted for 99% of all the drugs confiscated makes it impossible to ignore how significant the expense and failure of its prohibition is.
Shortly after followed the South African National Working Group’s 2013 Position Paper.
A monumental 222 page in-depth document that deals with all aspects of Cannabis in South Africa and the legalisation options we face. While not exactly light reading it contains insight into local information that to date has largely not been publicly published or reported on; enabling a realistic look at the feasibility of cannabis production options available to us.
In Summary it concludes that:
- Hemp has limited agricultural and industrial applications in South Africa, but still offers a viable market.
- It remains difficult to separate Hemp from Cannabis because South Africa’s geographical latitude often induces higher THC levels in hemp and therefore pierces the paper wall that separates hemp from recreational or medicinal Cannabis.
- In terms of our current UN obligations, we have some wiggle room to create a quasi-legal cannabis industry that is a legal industry in everything but name.
- South Africa may choose to follow the example of other countries and opt out of its international anti-drug commitments and return to these commitments with terms that allow for a unique local drug framework no longer restricted by failed global prohibition policies.
- The UN should prevent superpower countries from imposing sanction or economic threats on other countries who no longer wish to participate in the war on drugs.
- Legalisation of cannabis is a reality that now needs to be discussed and planned for locally.
The gems of this document are found in its detail and if you’re up for ploughing through it, you will find some truly rare insight into Cannabis in South Africa. From local licensed medical grows to some of the innocent lives lost to police who enthusiastically enforce cannabis prohibition, this is the most comprehensive document on Cannabis’ past, present and future in South Africa.
These reports’ detailed insights into the cop shop books and the global relevance of cannabis legalisation make the cost and redundancy of South Africa’s war on drugs clear, leaving only one question: Are our local politicians still fervently stepping on the gas of the anti-dagga machine whilst asleep at the wheel?
LINK to the two reports:
https://www.daggacouple.co.za/wp-content...f-2013.pdf
https://app.box.com/s/ro3rea65fvutqdn26b2k
Another article;
Marijuana Legalization Germinates Across The Globe
Posted by Buzz on Oct 25th 2013
One brick at a time the prohibition of cannabis has started being dismantled. While a few remain sceptical, it is impossible not to see the momentum that global legalization is gaining. The USA and Uruguay are currently centre stage in the cannabis conundrum. More than half the USA has legalized marijuana in some form, mostly for medical use, and Uruguay has recently become the first country in the world to fully legalize the production and consumption of Cannabis.
![[Image: sparc-pot-dispensary-2-1.jpg]](http://www.belowthelion.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sparc-pot-dispensary-2-1.jpg)
Breaking the ice on full legalization and snubbing the UN Single Narcotics Convention, Uruguay is set to provide a full legal system of privately supplied and government controlled sales of cannabis to its citizens (with talks of it being readily available at 1$/gram). In an interview Uruguayan President José Mujica summed it up nicely with “I’m scared by the drug trafficking, not by the drug”. Strict laws will see that cannabis is regulated much like tobacco. Worth noting is that tax revenue generated from sales will be directed toward the prevention of hard drug use.
It will be interesting to see how Uruguay plays out as even the Pope has found it necessary to speak out against South America’s growing movement towards more lenient drug policies, he said it was “necessary to tackle the problems which are at the root of drug abuse, promoting more justice, educating the youth with the values that live in society, standing by those who face hardship and giving them hope for the future”. Yet it is hard to ignore how the War on Drugs robs people and their loved ones of hope each time a criminal record or prison sentence is dished out.
![[Image: Mujica-1.jpg]](http://www.belowthelion.co.za/wp-content/uploads/Mujica-1.jpg)
Uruguay's president, José Mujica, says that by regulating Uruguay’s estimated $40 million-a-year marijuana business, the state will take it away from drug traffickers, and weaken the drug cartels. The state would also be able to keep track of all marijuana consumers in the country, and provide treatment to the most serious abusers, much like what is done with alcoholics.
Hot on Uruguay’s heels, we see the USA wrestling with the reality of the legalization of recreational cannabis use in two of its States, as well as there now being 20 legal Medical Marijuana States, and more on the way. Colorado has been the first to implement legalization, and cannabis retail stores are expected to start opening their doors on the 1st of January 2014. The US Federal Government has indicated that they will call off the hounds by allowing legitimate legal cannabis businesses to have bank accounts again, as it had long been a tactic to target the bank accounts of these businesses and strong arm the banks into closing the accounts. Often crippling the business or simply making it a lot riskier due to the now multibillion dollar “cash only” trade. The US Department of Justice is causing bigger waves though, in saying that it will not challenge the Washington or Colorado State laws, giving these States the freedom to cultivate the trade, taxation and regulation of legal recreational cannabis. However, what the Feds say and what the Feds do have often been two different things, but they appear to earnestly be letting the legalization of cannabis take its first small steps. The rest of the world watching with bated breath, as their own local cannabis policies are likely to be influenced by that of the US.
![[Image: gallup-poll-marijuana-legalization.png]](http://www.belowthelion.co.za/wp-content/uploads/gallup-poll-marijuana-legalization.png)
Meanwhile, halfway across the world, Israel is making its own progress in the research and medical application of cannabis. Israel has the world’s highest proportion of registered medical marijuana users. Leaving nothing to chance, the program has been under tight control by the Health Ministry. Now, Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, is set to vote on a bill that would allow private physicians to prescribe cannabis for their patients. Their efforts are paying off and some promising results are being seen on the medical front, backing some of the many long made claims of cannabis’ medical and therapeutic applications.
Even throughout the rest of the world, countries are slowly relaxing their laws; the most recent being Jamaica. In Europe, Switzerland recently joined Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, The Netherlands, and Spain as the ever-growing coalition of European nations who have decriminalized cannabis. Portugal, on the other hand, took it to the next level and in 2001 became the first nation on the planet to completely decriminalize all drugs, which has proved to be a great success. Portugal’s addiction rate has halved in 10 years, and their drug use rates are now among the lowest of EU member states.
There’s no denying that, internationally, politicians are realizing that the resources required to crack down on every bankie is not only an enormous waste of taxpayers money, but it’s a fast-track way of losing the drug war.
The scene however remains pretty bleak here in South Africa. Our political system is stumbling with many government fundamentals, to such an extent that cannabis legalisation isn’t even a blip on the radar. The Country’s hope tank is running on low as local crime statistics knock on record levels and high inflation takes its toll. Perhaps it will be our own growing necessity which leads to the sufficient tolerance of cannabis, enough to take some weight off of the cop’s shoulders and begin grappling with the pros and cons of legalizing dagga.
For us and much of the world this may well be the beginning of the final act on cannabis prohibition. It’s been a long road already and it will take years till we can close the final curtain on global cannabis prohibition. However, the if’s and when’s of legalising cannabis now seem inconsequential as legal cannabis starts to germinate across the globe to a growing new chorus of “How do we regulate it?”