As South Africa stares down the barrel of a barrage of election speak from mealie mouthed politicians, the question is – do any of them care about Dagga/Cannabis and the population group that uses the plant?
If you are looking for answers from the red, blue and yellow teams, good luck with that. Pretty much every Tweet we’ve tagged the top political parties in over the years have come to nothing. The ANC has had nothing to do with the legalisation of Dagga as yet. The fight has been in the courts, not parliament. Our incumbent looters and charlatans maintain a prohibitionist drug rhetoric stance. The War On Drugs is always on the ANC agenda, especially with an election coming up and a police boss who’s still convinced all drug use is abuse and all ends up with a heroin cocktail.
The Democratic Alliance are also tough on drugs, believing the country’s lackadaisical borders are to blame for the ‘scourge’ in our communities. They make no reference to Dagga as such, just ‘drugs’ in general – and then it’s only mumblings. No reform, no new ways of thinking. Just the 70 year old prohibition status quo.
The EFF have come out in support of legalisation in the past, but the details of what kind of marijuana Marxism would result is sketchy. The nationalisation of a plant may have its legal complications, not to mention the debate that would ensue.

There are nearly 50 parties contesting the 2019 elections The law of averages dictates there must be a party on the list somewhere that intends legalising weed for all South Africans.
There is. In fact, there are two we have come across.
 Both are curious in their own ways, and both are as refreshing as only fledgling parties can only be. Both may well be on to something, regardless of their stance on the Ganja plant. The African Democratic Change have taken a bottom up approach in its partnerships with communities and  Non Profit Companies countrywide. Currently there are 17 NPC’s affiliated to ADeC, including Fields Of Green For ALL. In fact, this party that likes to describe themselves as activists, not politicians are using the FGA ‘Desired Outcomes‘ discussion document as a blueprint for change. Or is that a greenprint?

The South African Capitalist Party is devoid of career politicians altogether.  The sign of the purple cow (symbolising wealth and a bull market) is a multi cultural group of capitalist minds, with personal views covering the whole political spectrum. They are on the ballot with the premise that business should run a country, not politics. They also have a drug policy manifesto that has vulnerable, problematic users at the core. Compassion and kindness, rather than stigma and cells. Again, this party is in its infancy, but are well worth an online visit if you’re having difficulties getting your head round voting for anyone at all. It is a battle to not be jaded with the whole system, we know. For half a generation, the rich have been getting insanely richer at the expense of everyone else. SA has been sucked dry by an untouchable elite.
It is surely time for a new course; dilute the playing field with some small independant parties who enrich the debate with valuable points of view. Isn’t that how democracy is meant to work?

Don’t stay home couch locked or spoil your vote. Vote for the energy of a small independent party and dilute the gene pool. While you’re at it, vote for a party that has drug policy reform on the agenda.
Ek Se.