John Oliver’s overview of cannabis in the United States quite candidly reflects the absurdity of cannabis legislation worldwide. Many of these US-based “war on drugs” campaigns and initiatives have been a resounding failure, added to criminality and victimisation of “minority groups” (Black and Hispanic people) in the United States.
The history of cannabis in South Africa is not much different as it’s illegality has only served as an excuse for corrupted law enforcement officers to search, interrogate or otherwise victimise people. (Mostly poor people in South Africa)
Cannabis in South Africa creates illegal employment. The conundrum is that people convicted on cannabis charges will struggle to find employment or travel abroad with a criminal record that can take up to a decade to expunge.
The World Health Organisation in 2019 recommended that medicinal cannabis should be reclassified as Schedule I Globally – “because there is evidence that some cannabis-based preparations have a medical use”.
