Acton calls on public to reject parliamentary cannabis proposal

Jeremy Acton of Iqela Lentsango, the Dagga Party of South Africa, was the first speaker at the Grow One Africa Hall at the Bathurst Show on Friday, March 31 and he used the platform to call on the cannabis community to reject the Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill.

DAGGA DISCUSSION: Jeremy Acton, right, with Steven Tabata who travelled from Komani to meet with him at his talk at the Bathurst Agricultural Show. Picture: FAITH QINGA

 

Grow One Africa (GOA) is a self-regulatory body that was founded in June 2020 with the mission of de-stigmatising society’s negative perceptions about cannabis culture by holding regular information sessions and workshops and supporting industry development. 

 

They have 21 clubs countrywide with more than 6700 members, 130 of whom are compliant in cultivating and processing cannabis in line with the 2020 Proposed Cannabis Bill. GOA acts as a service provider for cannabis social clubs. They aim to educate the younger generation about sustainable practices within the cannabis industry.

 

At the Bathurst Agricultural Show, they had a hall dedicated to educating the public about cannabis culture where a couple of industry experts were invited to talk in-depth about the industry while various stall holders marketed cannabis infused products in the Grow One Africa Hall. 

 

Acton started his talk with the Constitutional Court cannabis case, which opened the door for the legalisation of dagga in South Africa. He said the Western Cape High Court and ConCourt judgments had not considered cannabis as a holistic beneficial resource for economic development. Instead, the matter had been judged in terms of the right to privately use an “undesirable dependence producing drug”, as it is still listed in the schedules of the Illicit Drugs and Trafficking Act. 

 

For his matter, Acton had brought expert witnesses. Cannabinoid researcher Dr Robert Melamede from the US had said cannibinoids should be considered an essential human nutrient for human health, Acton said.

 

South African grower, Anthony Budden, said cannabis fibres could be used in a multitude of products, including bioplastics and cheap carbon-neutral fuel. 

 

Acton called on citizens to resist and reject the Draft Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill currently in Parliament. 

“The Bill is an invasion of privacy and intends to criminalise growers for having more than six plants, which is completely malicious,” he said. Acton said the dagga rights granted by the ConCourt judgment meant the state could no longer prescribe to citizens how much dagga they could grow, as the determination of one’s personal cannabis needs was now a private matter. 

 

Acton urged the cannabis community to not only resist the Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill with protest marches and court processes, but to also rally behind the Dagga Party in the upcoming elections.