Dagga laws are ‘racist and irrational’‚ court told

It was easier to ban dagga‚ officially in 1922‚ than alcohol because it was only used by Indian‚ coloured and black people at the time
The Times (South Africa)
Monday, August 14, 2017

south africa daggaThe South African law banning the smoking and cultivation of dagga is racist‚ unscientific and not rational or based on good law making. This was the testimony of historian Craig Paterson who works at Rhodes University. His master's thesis investigated how the colonial laws criminalising dagga use came about. He is a witness in the trial brought by Myrtle Clarke and Jules Stobbs asking that the laws banning the sale of dagga be ruled unconstitutional‚ as they are irrational and do not serve their purpose of minimising harm. Paterson's thesis finds cannabis or dagga was "widely used" before colonial times. (See also: State files 4,000 pages of evidence in dagga case | The Cannabis Chronicles: On the upside of moral panic)