Is It Legal to Grow Dagga in South Africa

Although the path to full legalisation is not clear, the market potential is very clear, both in terms of the internal market and natural benefits. Prohibition Partners estimates that the South African cannabis market could be worth nearly $2 billion by the end of 2023. Ranchers are ready to enjoy the country`s rich agricultural tradition, affordable land and abundant sunshine. The new decision clearly states that only private consumption of dagga is allowed – you are not allowed to sell or buy dagga from anyone. Cannabis grows well in the South African climate,[19] particularly in the Dagga Belt, an area that includes the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal,[11] where it is a traditional crop according to the 2011 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report. According to GroundUp, cannabis is „an important cash crop“ that „supports entire communities in rural Eastern Cape“ that otherwise survive in a subsistence economy. [20] [21] Rural farmers tend to be poor and produce low-quality local produce consumed locally, while middle-class growers produce produce for the rest of the domestic and international marijuana market. [21] Most of the national product is consumed at national or regional level, but increasing quantities are seized in Europe. [22] Cannabis was decriminalized in 2018 when South Africa`s High Court ruled that banning private cultivation and consumption of the plant violated an individual`s rights.

Thus, no license for private cultivation and consumption is required. In South Africa, an adult can legally grow up to 6 mature plants and up to 600 grams of dried cannabis or a maximum of 12 plants and 1200 grams for a household of two or more adults. The Cape and Transvaal colonies restricted the growth of the plant, which they considered a „noxious weed“; [13] In 1891, the Cape Colony banned cannabis under Bill 34, and the Free State banned the cannabis trade in 1903. [14] In 1908, Natal began regulating the sale of cannabis. [11] In the Transvaal, Dagga was sold „openly and normally“ by traders to minors. [13] On September 18, 2018, the South African Constitutional Court decriminalized the use and cultivation of cannabis in a private space and granted the South African Parliament a 24-month period during which the relevant laws could be amended, otherwise the court`s decision would prevail. Although the private use of cannabis has been decriminalized, the purchase and sale of cannabis, cannabis oil and cannabis seeds remains illegal. [18] It`s 2020 and many of the misconceptions about cannabis and licensing have been dispelled, there is no longer a taboo element when it comes to marijuana. If you have decided to grow your own cannabis and possibly extend this interest to the sale of cannabis, you need to find all the information about a dagga license in South Africa.

In just 6 minutes of reading, you will learn everything you need to know about a Dagga South Africa license. In 1922, orders were issued under an amended Customs and Excise Act that criminalized the possession and use of „addictive drugs,“ including dagga. Regulation 14 prohibited the cultivation, possession, sale and use of the plant. The burden of proof for any defence against an indictment rests with the accused; Professor Chanock, a lawyer, compared this to the alcohol laws at the time, which placed the burden of proof on the prosecutor; He argued that cannabis regulations were applied differently because they targeted Black people. [13] After the fifth meeting of the League of Nations Advisory Committee on the Trade in Opium and Other Dangerous Drugs, Dagga was added to a list of prohibited narcotics at the request of South Africa, expressed in 1923 by Prime Minister J. C. Van Tyen,[15] who until then had dealt almost exclusively with opium and its derivatives. [13] Cannabis was banned internationally in 1925. [11] Stricter legal guidelines for personal use are expected towards the end of 2020. Currently, South Africans are legally allowed to possess up to 600 grams of cannabis per person, with a maximum of 1,200 grams per household (the public property limit is 60 grams). South Africa`s neighbours Lesotho and Zimbabwe have also adopted liberal cannabis policies and partnered with Canadian cannabis producers. Apart from personal cultivation and personal gifts, the medical marijuana program is the primary way for South Africans to access cannabis.

While a legal pathway for CBD in South Africa seems clear, the widespread availability of THC-containing products seems more distant. South Africa`s medical marijuana program relies heavily on Canadian suppliers. THC products remain a Schedule 7 controlled substance in South Africa. South Africa`s Drug Control Board (MCC) initially classified Dagga as a Schedule 7 substance, meaning it had no medical value and was „illegal to grow, test, possess, research, use, sell or supply without approval from the Department of Health.“ [44] [45] In 2016, it published regulations providing for the use of dagga for medical reasons and expressed a desire to reclassify „cannabinoid drugs“ as a Schedule 6 substance to make them available for medical purposes. [46] [47] However, the Dagga couple noted that partial decriminalization in 2017 reduced the significance of the proposed date change and called for a more radical reclassification of the drug. [26] 2.