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The government has called for public comment on amendments to the Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill and a new proposed Climate Change Bill. DearSA has initiated two separate campaigns for each of these public participation processes, and we encourage citizens to make use of them for submitting their comments.

Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services invited citizens to comment on proposed amendments to the Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill that provide for:

• Commercial activities in respect of recreational cannabis;
• The cultivation, possession and supply of cannabis plants and cannabis by cultural or religious communities or organisations for cultural or religious purposes; and
• The use of cannabis for palliation or medication;

“These amendments would allow persons suffering from moderate to severe chronic debilitating physical or mental health conditions to self-medicate with cannabis they grow themselves. The legislation also seeks to regulate the recreational cannabis industry under a licensing scheme providing for different categories on cultivation, sale and processing of cannabis.” Said Gideon Joubert, DearSA CEO

DearSA delivered over 8400 individual submissions to the government during the Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill campaign from 7 August to 30 November 2020. These comments had a meaningful impact on shaping the Bill before it became law. We encourage all South Africans to have their say on the proposed amendments to the Bill before comments close on 13 May 2022.

The Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries has also called for public comment on the new Climate Change Bill. According to the Department, the main object of the bill is to “enable the development of an effective climate change response and the long-term, just transition to a climate-resilient and lower-carbon economy and society, and to provide for matters connected therewith.”

Some key proposals of the Bill are:

• Establishing "adaptation objectives" for implementing specific green targets that the country should hit within associated timeframes.
• The bill will empower the minister, in consultation with Cabinet, to determine a national greenhouse gas emissions trajectory for the country.
• It also allows the minister to list the sectors and subsectors which are subject to the allocation of a sectoral emissions target.

According to DearSA CEO, Gideon Joubert, “the Climate Change Bill has the potential to hold far-reaching consequences for our economy and citizens. South Africa is suffering from record-breaking unemployment and debilitating poverty. Therefore, great caution must be applied to new legislation that may exacerbate the situation through increased costs of living and cost of doing business in South Africa. We therefore strongly encourage citizens to have their say on this issue.”

The public can access the campaigns at the following links:

Climate Change Bill: https://dearsouthafrica.co.za/climate-2022/

Amendments to Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill: https://dearsouthafrica.co.za/cannabis-for-private-use/

Issued by DearSA