The Cannabis community is not new to abuse from the police. For decades the homes of plant growers and consumers have been invaded, destroyed or damaged and their human rights simply ignored. It quickly became clear to the crew at Fields of Green for ALL that someone needs to intervene. Someone needs to #StopTheCops.

You don’t need to look far to find these stories of the police’s complete disregard of an individual’s human rights. What about this woman who was assaulted both in her home and at the cells for enjoying a joint in bed with her man? Or this grade 11 pupil who was sexually assaulted by police officers in Knysna? The list goes on and the picture looks grim. With government in denial about police brutality, we wonder – who will #stopthecops?

It is clear that the police need to be stopped. They are being left unchecked and cause destruction and chaos wherever they go. One of our own crew was recently detained (and assaulted) for having 0.8grams of flower in his car; the station commander insistent that possession of dagga is still a crime. Hello? Ever heard of the privacy ruling of September 2018, mister policeman?

At the Durban Cannabis Expo in 2019, Jules addressed a crowd of people on the horrors of police actions. With his typical sass, he makes the following two powerful comments:

“As part of Fields of Green for ALL’s work, we have the #StopTheCops initiative. Because they must be stopped. And when I say “stop the cops”, I don’t mean rocking up with an R4, I mean “take the cops away from Cannabis alltogether”!“; and

“Fields of Green doesn’t really deal with the benefits of Cannabis, instead, we have spent the last 8 years dealing with the harms of prohibition. Because the harms of prohibition far outweighs any perceived harms of this plant.“

With unlawful arrests and detention still taking place every day, we have our work cut out for us. This is why we need your help. Our GoFundMe campaign will help us go back to court to continue #TrialOfThePlant and prevent the government from making irrational and unconstitutional rulings. Suing the government doesn’t come cheap and this is why we need the support of ALL of South Africa, to make sure that our rights are protected and respected.

Jules’ presentation has all the heart of our cause in it. His passion for all South Africans and disdain for the treatment of the Cannabis community will ensure that we keep fighting until we have reached the goals he has set for us. Please donate to the cause or share our plea for help far and wide. We’re relying on YOU!