The Constitutional Court has officially ruled that the personal use of dagga is not a criminal offence and Deputy Chief Justice Zondo said that the right to privacy is not confined to a home or private dwelling.
News24 reported that Zondo said, "It will not be a criminal offence for an adult person to use or be in possession of cannabis in a private space."
He added that the judgement, however, did not specify how many grams of cannabis a person is allowed to use or have in private.
Throughout the years, the medical benefits and risks of using dagga have been heavily debated. Still uncertain about which stance to take? Make your own, informed decision by educating yourself with these recent articles:
1. Does mom’s dagga end up in breast milk?
If a breastfeeding mom smokes marijuana, does it end up in breast milk? And if so, does the small amount affect the baby? While the levels of ingestion might be low, medical experts were concerned about the possible effects it could have on an infant.
2. Dagga vs alcohol – which is worse?
People are on both sides of the fence when it comes to the legalisation of marijuana for private use – but if you are against dagga and drink alcohol, could you be worse off? What are the health risks of both?
3. Legalised dagga may lead to more road accidents
South Africans may now be in possession of dagga for private use. We are all aware of the impact of alcohol on road safety – could the same be said for dagga?
4. Dagga may lead to smart kids making dumb choices
Dagga for private use will obviously mean responsible use. This article clamps down on the risks dagga may have on younger users.
5. 2 common dagga myths busted
Will the legalisation of dagga make us more responsible towards it or cause a bigger problem? Could it possibly reduce the number of adults addicted to opioid pain killers?
What are your feelings towards dagga being decriminalised? Share your thoughts and advice by emailing healthnews@health24.com and we may publish your comments. Should you wish to remain anonymous, please let us know.
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