https://www.polity.org.za
Deepening Democracy through Access to Information
Home / News / All News RSS ← Back
Close

Email this article

separate emails by commas, maximum limit of 4 addresses

Sponsored by

Close

Article Enquiry

IRR welcomes Constitutional Court ruling on dagga

Close

Embed Video

1

IRR welcomes Constitutional Court ruling on dagga

IRR welcomes Constitutional Court ruling on dagga

19th September 2018

By: African News Agency

SAVE THIS ARTICLE      EMAIL THIS ARTICLE

Font size: -+

The Institute of Race Relations (IRR) on Wednesday welcomed the Constitutional Court judgment to allow the possession or smoking of cannabis in private.

On Tuesday Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo ruled: ‘It will not be a criminal offence for an adult person to use or be in possession of cannabis in private space.’ The court has given Parliament two years to amend the relevant legislation on possession of the substance.

Advertisement

IRR spokesperson Kelebogile Leepile said this decision was an important step in affirming the rights of individuals to make decisions on issues that affect them and their lives. The Constitutional Court ruling on the use of cannabis is the thin edge of the liberty wedge, which makes South Africans freer.

"People should be free to decide without interference from the state whether or not to use a substance such as cannabis in the privacy of their own home, in the same way as they can choose whether or not to consume alcohol at home," Leepile said.

Advertisement

"This right is legitimately restricted only when it impinges on others, such as by driving a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol." 

Leepile said the ruling shows the court believes individuals were better equipped than the state to make decisions about their own lives. "Individuals should be further empowered to make decisions about their children’s education, their healthcare, and who represents them in Parliament".

South Africans should have a greater say on what happens in their children’s schools, greater choice in meeting their medical needs (which the proposed National Health Insurance scheme will take away), and be allowed to directly elect people to represent them in Parliament.

"The ruling will be fairly meaningless if the country continues to erode property and other rights and fails to trust South Africans to make their own decisions on important choices, such as meeting their healthcare needs, and seeking the best education for their children," Leepile said.

EMAIL THIS ARTICLE      SAVE THIS ARTICLE

To subscribe email subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za or click here
To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here

Comment Guidelines

About

Polity.org.za is a product of Creamer Media.
www.creamermedia.co.za

Other Creamer Media Products include:
Engineering News
Mining Weekly
Research Channel Africa

Read more

Subscriptions

We offer a variety of subscriptions to our Magazine, Website, PDF Reports and our photo library.

Subscriptions are available via the Creamer Media Store.

View store

Advertise

Advertising on Polity.org.za is an effective way to build and consolidate a company's profile among clients and prospective clients. Email advertising@creamermedia.co.za

View options
Free daily email newsletter Register Now