Cabinet has approved the Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill of 2020 which decriminalises the private use of marijuana and determines the amounts people may legally hold in their possession.

"Cabinet approved the submission to Parliament of the Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill of 2020 for processing," it said in a statement.

The bill gives effect to Constitutional Court judgement that struck down parts of the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act of 1992 (Act 140 of 1992) and the Medicines and Related Substances Control Act of 1965.

The ruling was suspended for two years to allow MPs to replace the sections deemed unconstitutional by the court and write regulations on the personal cultivation and growth of marijuana.

In terms of the draft law, smoking cannabis in public remains illegal but consuming it in private is allowed. Adults may possess up to 600 grammes of the drug, or 1 200 grammes per household, for private use. The limit for public possession is 60 grammes.

Buying and selling trafficable amounts of marijuana remains criminal and is subject to imprisonment.

The legalisation of what has long been a common drug in South African culture has enjoyed the vocal support of finance Minister Tito Mboweni, who has said he is eager to unlock the economic potential of cultivation and believed it could contribute as much as R4-billion to the economy.