All the best for 2019 to ALL our supporters, members, affiliate companies and organisations. May this be a year of progress and prosperity for ALL!
“Fields of Green for ALL, established in 2013, is a non-profit company that is working towards the legal regulation of Cannabis in South Africa. As our name indicates, we work to ensure that ALL citizens share the benefits that Cannabis legalisation will bring. We provide guidance for individuals and communities who have been marginalised by Cannabis prohibition. Funded by our supporters, we are an organisation that promotes active citizenry in order to affect equitable drug policy reform.”
One of our frequently asked questions is “What is the role of Fields of Green for ALL in the way forward with Cannabis in SA?”
We started out as evidence provider for The Trial of the Plant with The Dagga Couple being the social activism arm of the organisation. That work is ongoing. Our trial is still “part heard” (more about that in our next blog) but the Constitutional Court Judgement in September 2018 has helped our cause in a very significant way. The fact that privacy was placed at the apex of the judgement means that nobody can ever take that away from us. All citizens have the right to privacy, not just those who are sick or those who want to make socks. The impact of that will only be felt as the process of formulating the law gets under way.
In March 2018 we published our discussion document “Proposals for the Legal Regulation of Cannabis in South Africa” and that document is growing in the background. We are working with our legal team at Schindlers Attorneys to ensure that our proposals are viable within the complicated pages of the law
As Cannabis Culture has always been central in our Human Rights argument, Fields of Green for ALL supports the formation of thousands of small clubs, associations and co-ops throughout South Africa. The corporate green giants are here but if we do what is necessary to look after ourselves, our families and our communities we can ensure that we don’t end up with nothing to show for all our suffering under prohibition. Big is not beautiful so Fields of Green for ALL provides advice and a forum to discuss the way forward for your ideas, away from the glare of social media.
Our list of South African Affiliate companies is growing and it is very interesting to work with companies who are getting it right, forging ahead in uncertain times. If your company would like to benefit from our large advertising reach Fields of Green for ALL will ensure that you also have loads of productive fun supporting us to finish the job we set out to do.
2018 was a busy year for us telling the South African story on international stages. From Freedom Day in Amsterdam to the hallowed halls of the United Nations in Vienna, the international drug policy community is watching us really closely. SA stands out in the “developing” world as a country that has a very special set of needs when it comes to Cannabis policy. While so many are squabbling on the ground about who is going to be first, the hard work is about getting the new laws that we want. South Africa is voting on Cannabis scheduling at the UN in March. There is a whole lot of work to be done around that but if the schedules are lowered it will make our lives much easier. Central to our approach is the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 as these are an important guideline for our government. We need to speak their language.
Arrests have not stopped completely and there are pockets of police around the country who persistently harass citizens. As our aim has always been to assist those harmed by prohibition we still have cases coming in (but thankfully not nearly as many as before the ConCourt) and old cases that still need to be wrapped up. Going forward, it is one of our non-negotiable outcomes in our regulation proposals that all criminal records for Cannabis must be expunged and all Cannabis prisoners set free with no conditions. Canada and the USA are struggling with this with varying degrees of success. We need to put this issue on the table right from the beginning if real justice is to be done. Our JoinTheQueue project’s work is not over yet!
All work and no play is not the stoner way. We are very excited that this year’s DDay 4.20 party is at a beautiful new PRIVATE venue in Gauteng that will be convenient for everyone to get to. Watch this space and social media for tickets, stalls, etc – coming soon. Please keep your questions until after we’ve announced the venue.
This year is very special as 4.20 falls on a Saturday, Easter Saturday in fact! That means it is 7 years since our first DDay 4.20 in Maboneng in 2012. Start saving if you need to travel!
We trust that this explains most of what Fields of Green for ALL is up to and answers some questions. Thank you for your continued support!
Myrtle, Julian, William, Joanne & Charl
How to negotiate drug tests at workplace in the fieldguide industry to not be suspended from driving guests on safari because you are not allowed to drive while thc is in blood but we all know it stays in blood very long
Hi Eugene, we wish we had a positive answer to your question but this issue remains one of our biggest challenges. We will update everyone via social media and here on our blog the minute we have any news. There are several cases pending at the CCMA in this regard.