ISSUES AT STAKE: Welcome to Cannabis City

LAST week a dagga dealer was arrested by civilian patrols in Meerensee, but the arrest was not without controversy.

In one camp, parents and family members of addicts applaud the crime prevention strategy as absolutely crucial in the fight against the monster of drug addiction.

In the other, users argue that recreational use of marijuana is no more harmful than smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol and should therefore be legalised.

A third group firmly believe it is a cure for diseases such as cancer and multiple sclerosis or could at least alleviate the suffering.

But, during a meeting of the KZN Human Trafficking, Harmful Traditional Practices, Pornography, Prostitution and Brothels Task Team, a police officer said legalisation of marijuana in the State of Colorado, had grave consequences on various levels.

The member was part of a delegation visiting the USA on an international leadership programme aimed at combating trafficking in persons, which included the comparison of legislation between South Africa and the USA, as well as studying international best practice on the treatment of human trafficking victims and the prosecution of perpetrators.

According to his report, human trafficking and hard core drug dealing increased dramatically, due to organised crime syndicates diversifying and expanding operations to cater for all the needs of their clients, exactly the way legitimate businesses do.

Also, the business is strictly cash, because banks are federally insured.

And, with vast amounts of cash in circulation, the states are indeed heaven on earth for thieves and armed robbers.

This is forcing the state to fork out staggering amounts to fight crime.

Colorado became the first state in the world to legalise the recreational use cannabis, following the amendment of the constitution to include a state-wide drug policy.

It was argued that the commercial cultivation and manufacturing will create employment and earn revenue.

The policy thus addresses personal use and regulation of marijuana for adults over 21 and provides for commercial cultivation, manufacture and sale in much the same way as alcohol.

Commercial sale to the general public began on in January 2014 at licensed establishments and 62 of Colorado’s cities and towns and 22 counties have since then adopted some form of recreational marijuana regulation.

Conflicting media reports have since then surfaced, with some claiming the ‘grass’ is really greener on the dagga side of the fence, where everything is mellow and heavenly.

Real estate prices, they say, have gone up and employment opportunities abound.

Shelters however lament the number of unemployed dagga-addicted youth living on the streets.

Hospitals have reported cases of dagga ingestion by young children, because it is also to be found in candy drops and choc-chip cookies, but these must now be marked (hopefully not in writing or symbols only adults can understand).

Law enforcement says it is virtually impossible to police the movement of drugs over borders into states where it is still illegal and just as hard to catch drivers under the influence of dagga.

This is in spite of having a splendid and competent world class police force, funded by Americans.

It takes little imagination to see a South Africa and more particularly a City where dagga is legal and scores of poor, unemployed people and rich successful business people, such as surgeons and pilots are allowed to smoke dagga to their heart’s content and trade recipes for zolbol cookies with taxi drivers to alleviate work stress or lament lack of employment opportunities.

This, while the government responsibly uses all tax payers’ money to employ scores of competent social workers, doctors, traffic police, prosecutors and detectives, to deal with neglected children, dagga addiction in schools, robbery, rape, violent crime, prostitution, driving under the influence of dagga and so forth.

But all of this,will be worthwhile and indeed lofty, because we all have the right to recreation and skipping around in the sugar cane like a magical pixy horses.

Sounds like a nightmare trip from which there is no waking.